Confronting the Enemy

Yesterday I went out to the garden to fetch a mess o' greens. I was happily cutting the kale... it's been looking so pretty, and the leaves are starting to get a little size on them. When I got to the far corner of the kale patch, though -- horror of horrors -- I saw that the aphids have moved in! Nothing that a little salt water bath can't take care of, as far as human consumption, but I don't want those little buggers eating up my crop! So I removed the bulk of the bugs by pulling up the infested plants, cut the biggest leaves, washed them in cold salt water, then cooked them up. I checked the spinach while I was at it, and found a few aphids there as well. Lady bugs, lady bugs, fly away home... to my home that is. I need you!

Disheartening Work

The most disheartening work in the garden must be the thinning of young seedlings! I set to work on my radishes this afternoon, making room for the survivers to grow. One thing that makes me feel better about this chore is I know nothing is truly wasted. My chickens will enjoy the rejects and will turn that raw material into eggs.

I pulled up the cabbage plants that were planted at the end of September. They didn't have enough time to grow and "head up" in the fall, so I left them in the garden to see what would happen. After surviving the winter, they bolted instead of making nice solid heads. So, that experiment didn't work. I'll have to check the proper time to plant cabbage.

The turnip greens had also bolted and gone to flower. We ate some of the tender young buds last week. The bright yellow flowers are actually quite pretty. Despite their good looks, today I pulled them all up and dumped them into the chicken yard. The chickens enjoyed the diversion.

To Wash or Not to Wash the Eggs?

I've always washed the eggs I collect because I don't like the idea of having dirty eggs (think 'feces') in the 'fridge. I've heard conflicting advice, though, and have been wondering what the official word is on washing fresh eggs. Of course I went on-line to see what I could find. The Virginia Tech Cooperative Extension site had information on the proper handling of eggs. Specifically, regarding egg washing:

• Never cool eggs rapidly before they are cleaned. The egg shell will contract and pull any dirt or bacteria on the surface deep into the pores when cooled. Try to keep the temperature relatively constant until they are washed.
• Wash eggs as soon as you collect them. This helps limit the opportunity of contamination and loss of interior quality.
• Wash eggs with water 10 degrees warmer than the egg. This will make the egg contents swell and push the dirt away from the pores of the egg. If you have extremely dirty eggs, a mild detergent approved for washing eggs can be used.
• Never let eggs sit in water. Once the temperature equalizes the egg can absorb contaminants out of the water.
• Cool and dry eggs quickly after washing. Store eggs, large end up, at 50-55ÉF and at 75% relative humidity. If eggs sit at room temperature (75ÉF) they can drop as much as one grade per day. If fertile eggs are kept at a temperature above 85ÉF for more than a few hours the germinal disc (embryo) can start to develop. If fertile eggs are kept above 85ÉF over two days the blood vessels of the embryo may become visible.
• If eggs are stored properly in their own carton or other stable environment they should hold a quality of Grade A for at least four weeks.

http://www.ext.vt.edu/pubs/poultry/factsheets/9.html

Blue Sky, Sunshine, and the March Wind

The rain clouds are gone. A nice March wind is blowing, reminding me of a song my grandma used to sing:

Blow old March wind, blow, blow, blow.
Make the arms of the windmill go.
Flutter the clothes on the clothesline high.
Sail our kites to the far blue sky.
Push the sailboats over the deep,
And waken the buds from their winter sleep.

The buds are surely being awakened, the soggy ground is getting a little help with the drying-out process, and I feel a noticeable lift in my spirit just looking out upon the advent of spring.

Another Rainy Day

I woke up this morning to the voice of the radio weatherman predicting 90% chance of rain today. It's been gray all day, with low hanging clouds. Rain has begun to gently fall this afternoon. Thunder is rumbling ominously in the distance. Thankfully, in recent days the temperature has been in the upper 60's.

The warmth has been enough. Despite the lack of sunshine, the kale has grown noticeably in the last two days. The turnips have gone to flower. The beets have pushed their way through the dirt. Everything is thriving. Just wait until the sun comes out. There'll be an explosion of growth!

I left a couple of eggs, each marked with an X, in each of the two favorite nesting spots in the chicken coop yesterday. Trying to do what I can to encourage "broodiness".

Feathers are Missing

I've noticed some of the hens are missing feathers. A couple of weeks ago I saw that one hen had a bare spot on her back. Rouse and I joked that she'd be the first one in the stew pot. But now, several of the girls have bare spots on their backs.

I went to the Kansas State Agricultural Experiment Station / Cooperative Extension Service website to read up on feather problems in the small flock. It could be one of several things:

• Molting... but this usually occurs in the fall as days are getting shorter.
• Inadequate diet... unlikely in chickens fed balanced, commercially produced feeds.
• Pecking... a common problem, usually brought on by overcrowding, boredom, high light intensity, mites or other external parasites. Doesn't seem to fit our situation. Plus, I haven't noticed any pecking behavior.

What I think is the most likely explanation:

• In a natural setting with mature roosters present, some of the females may exhibit "barebacks" which are a result of the mating process.

Elvis -- Leave those girls alone!

http://www.oznet.k-state.edu/DesktopDefault.aspx

Good reason to grow your own eggs...

I know the eggs I get from my hens are a rich, golden, color. And I know the yolks are "perkier" than those found in store-bought eggs. Intuitively, I think they must be better than those commercially produced eggs. There actually is evidence that a diet rich in grubs and greens does make a better, more nutritious egg.

According to a "Mother Earth News" article, eggs from true free-range hens may contain:
• 1/3 less cholesterol
• 1/4 less saturated fat
• 2/3 more vitamin A
• 2 times more omega-3 fatty acids
• 3 times more vitamin E
• 7 times more beta carotene

That's good reason to love my layers!

Read the entire article here: http://www.motherearthnews.com/Real-Food/2007-10-01/Tests-Reveal-Healthier-Eggs.aspx

A gentle soaking rain is good for the garden...

The temperature is in the mid-40's and it's raining. I cut collard greens this morning before the rain started, and snipped off the the tender flower buds at the top of the bolting center stalks. I'll cook the leaves and the buds together for a tasty cruciferous dish.

The hens are approaching full egg production as the days get longer. Today I collected 8 eggs. Rouse and I are wondering when these hens will go broody. I probably should leave some eggs - or place a fake egg or two - in the nesting boxes to give the maternal instinct a chance to surface.

The Last of the Sweet Potatoes

I roasted up the tail-end of last fall's sweet potatoes. Added them to some cooked fresh kale and seasoned black beans. Spooned it all onto flour tortillas. Added pepper-jack cheese. Folded it up burrito style. Mighty fine eatin'!

Fall Crops on the Way Out

I pulled up the fall crop of arugula. It had bolted and gotten bitter. The chickens will enjoy a little arugula salad! The turnip greens have also bolted, but we're eating the young, tender, turnip flower heads that look like little brocolli bunches. The mustard greens got infested with aphids. I pulled it all up. The kale is still tender and good, and the leaves are a bit larger now. We'll still have some good meals from this fall crop.



The cabbage planted in the fall looked like it was going to head up, but has bolted. The collards are starting to bolt, too, so we'll have to go ahead and eat them up. Broccoli plants that I put in last month are growing well. They made it through the cold nights.



The onions and sugar snaps are up and growing well. The spring crop of cooking greens and salad greens have popped up and look neat and tidy in their little green rows. The beets are just starting to peek through the dirt. No sign of potato plants.

Full Nest!

100% production in the hen house today... 9 hens, 9 eggs!

Beets in the Ground

I planted three varieties of beets... Detroit Dark Red, Golden, and Chicago Red.

Lazy Bed

I planted my potatoes under leaf mulch and straw in what is known as a "lazy bed". I filled two beds - 3 rows per bed, ~8" apart. I placed the seed potato chunks, cut side down, about 4-6" apart; pressed them firmly into the soil; layered leaf mulch and then straw on top. Young potatoes should be ready to eat in 8 weeks!

Before planting: I cut my seed potatoes into 1 3/4 - 2 oz pieces, making sure each piece had at least a couple of growth buds (eyes). Then I allowed them to dry at room temperature for 2 -4 days prior to planting.

I ordered 4# each of three potato varieties... Yukon Gold, Red Pontiac, Purple Viking. I puchased them on-line from Gurney's Seed & Nursery Co. I had a few seed potatoes left over, which I gave to Andrew for his garden.

The potatoes will be ready to dig for winter storage when the plant tops begin to dry. The beauty of the lazy bed is the potatoes don't have to be "dug" out of the earth, which decreases the chance of bruising the skin. After picking up tubers, dry 2 -3 hours, then store in a cool, dry, dark, well-ventilated space.

At one end of the cooking greens bed, I planted a spring crop of kale and some rainbow chard. There are also a few lettuce plants in that space that have survived the winter. I left them, anticipating an early salad.

I filled up the salad greens bed with a second planting of arugula, a second planting of spinach, a variety of lettuces, and radishes.