It's an exciting time of year here at Greenfire. When the dust of the springtime bustle settles, we get the opportunity to turn our attention towards mending our infrastructure, regrouping for next year, and finally completing projects that have been on the back burner. This summer started off with a bang. As soon as the egg count started declining, we made plans to fly our shipping container greenhouse. At about 30 feet in the air, this third story greenhouse will collect plenty of wintertime rays and keep us in citrus and nightshades all winter long. It really is an awe-inspiring site on the farm. It's been in place for over two weeks and I still catch myself stopping to marvel at it in the midst of farm chores. Check it out!

As many of our long-time followers can remember, we have always had a soft spot in our hearts for swine here at Greenfire. Just over 2 years ago, we stopped raising Red Wattles in an effort to grow Greenfire and focus our attention more on the chickens. Since making that decision, we (and our deep freezer) really started missing that fall pork. I made it through at least two winters on a solid diet of our own andouille and chorizo that we custom blended at our local butcher. So this spring, we decided to get back into pigs. This time, we picked a critically endangered rare breed that originated not too far from North Florida, the Ossabaw. For half a millennium they bred in isolation as feral herds on Ossabaw Island, a coastal barrier island near Savannah, Georgia. As a result they developed insular dwarfism; adults can weigh less than 100 pounds. So, as pigs go, they're on the small and absolutely precious side of the camp. They mature slowly which is giving us plenty of time to socialize with and adore them.

As we have trialed and released over 70 different imported breeds, it's become easy to feel a little impartial to the uniqueness of each one of them. Chores become chores, and it's just another egg to collect, another mouth to feed. But every year, when we receive a new import, we are reminded of the precious heritages we have come to protect and advance, and what an important job that is. This year, we were so pleased to secure an import of Welbars from the UK. Like the Legbar, the Welbar is a breed that is easily autosexed at hatch. Unlike the Legbar, the Welbar lays stunningly rich, chocolate brown eggs. It's an exciting prospect that you will soon be able to place orders of several different hens resulting in a beautifully assorted rainbow of eggs. If I were you, I'd start dreaming up my Legbar, Welbar, Bielfelder, 55 Flowery Hen, and Smaaland order for early spring.