We will be bringing Hass and Gem avocados to the market this month. The youngest Hass trees have produced a lot of fruit this year, which means our avocado season has been extended. Whoo hoo! We plan to continue coming to the market until Thanksgiving.

We thought we would be bringing figs to the market at the end of August, but this mild summer slowed their ripening. Now we can tell you that we will bring figs to the market this month. Our trees are still young and small, but we are excited to see how much they have been producing.

The figs you will see at the market: Chetwyn Fig (these will make up the majority of figs at our stand), Tiger Stripe (pictured on the left), Brown Turkey (a common variety found in grocery stores), and Corky's Honey Delight (a fig with amber-colored flesh and sweet honey flavor).

The chicken yard has been extended to encircle most of the fruit tree orchard below our house, since chickens are great at keeping down weeds and eating the problematic insects. Now we can watch the flock from our kitchen window, which has inspired the animal highlight of this newsletter. 

Our white Silky rooster, Petey, is a great character in our flock. He always keeps alert for danger and alerts the hens once he encounters it (which can range from a coyote howl to a gate opening **very scary). When the hens are out of Petey's eyesight for too long, he clucks loudly and they all rush back to him. Petey is also a gentleman. If he finds a morsel on the ground, he will cluck and coo to bring nearby hens over to enjoy the treat.