Pasties, Beef Boxes, Rain and early babies!

Last week was a whirlwind to say the least! The week after a trip away exhibiting at a show is always a challenge but last week seemed busier than ever….

After releasing our mixed box offer last Monday the website went frankly ‘beefy bonkers’! So much so that the boxes sold out in record time and we even decided to cut an extra side of beef on Friday to be sure we would have enough stock for the Truro Farmer’s Market. Poor Sue was kept extremely busy making 360 meatballs and well over 200 burgers which are all hand rolled!

Wednesday’s nationwide shipping day was hectic with a record number of boxes heading across the UK, the furthest parcel reached Aberdeen!

The weather has made life on the farm pretty hard-going for Will, it seems like we have had an awful lot of very ‘wet’ rain. He has been coming in resembling a drowned rat, thank goodness for my trusty AGA to dry everything out! The cows are feeling pretty smug in their cosy sheds watching the pouring rain outside. What has been interesting is that before our herbal leys we would see brown water streaming down the road in heavy rain which is run off from the fields. Even in this biblical rain we haven’t seen that at all. Showing just how much more water we are managing to hold within the root system.

Friday saw Will have a major drama, he went off to collect a ‘straw chopper’ which he purchased on an online auction in the tractor. On the way back he had a puncture in the middle of St Austell and for anyone who has driven through St Austell recently it is like picadilly circus with the traffic lights. He got some very funny looks doing a puncture repair on the side of the road. Anyway he eventually got home and by a miracle the machine works – always a worry when you buy in an auction!

Then in the afternoon we had two early arrivals, we aren’t officially due to start calving until next week but two cows decided that it was time and calved within an hour of each other. Both mums and babies are thankfully doing well. That is two down only another eighty two to go. We have got a busy couple of months coming up on calf watch. But nothing brings more joy than seeing new life arrive on the farm.

On Saturday it was the ‘St Piran’s Day’ Farmer’s Market in Truro with their annual Pasty Competition. Will was determined that we would enter a pasty so set about making it with the children on Friday night before popping it in the oven early on Saturday morning.

Whilst the Treway Farm entry wasn’t a winner we were very pleased with it for a farmer’s effort! The last time we made a pasty was for last years competition and we swore we would make them more often but of course we didn’t. Will this year be any different? Time will certainly tell! The pasty competition had 50 entries which is an amazing effort with lots of entries coming from fellow traders.

This week we are TB testing again, tomorrow will see the first part of the test with the results being read on Friday. Fingers crossed for a clear test and not to much rain!!