Monday, April 5, 2010
Kale Can Not Take Another 90 Degree Day
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This evening I pulled up the fall kale. It was starting to bolt, and the high temp is predicted to be 90 degrees tomorrow. I trimmed off all the young, tender, green leaves; blanched them for 2 minutes; cooled them quickly and drained them.
Then I packed the greens into freezer bags and tucked them into the freezer. It's amazing how much greens cook down. A sink full of greens resulted in the equivalent of two quart bags full.
Here's the poop from the backyard chicken coop ... keeping tabs on the girls and checking the garden to see what's for supper. Now that's LOCAL!
Garden of Eat'n
Small Flock
It all started...
... in the spring of 2006. Rouse decided to build a raised bed for the purpose of growing blueberry bushes. Well, one raised bed led to another and soon we had four raised beds. Three were filled with blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, and wineberries. The fourth was planted with herbs and tomatoes.
One year later...
... Andrew came home after his freshman year at UNC-Asheville and announced that he wanted to put in a vegetable garden. He said he wanted to learn how to do it "before he had to." We all liked the idea of eating more local food. You certainly can't get any more local then your own back yard!
Rouse had recently pulled out two overgrown shrubs in the bed behind the house. He had no plans to improve the area until fall, so he gave Drew the go-ahead. Andrew worked hard preparing the soil... digging it up and adding turkey manure enhanced dirt and mulch. He planted pole beans, cucumbers, a variety of hot peppers, okra, eggplant, canteloupe, zucchini and yellow squash.
Drew's garden was a huge success. We enjoyed the fresh food so much Rouse and I decided we wanted a more permanent garden. And chickens, too! In September of 2007 Rouse built four more raised beds and starting clearing space for the chicken yard. See "The HENstory" on its own page.
Rouse had recently pulled out two overgrown shrubs in the bed behind the house. He had no plans to improve the area until fall, so he gave Drew the go-ahead. Andrew worked hard preparing the soil... digging it up and adding turkey manure enhanced dirt and mulch. He planted pole beans, cucumbers, a variety of hot peppers, okra, eggplant, canteloupe, zucchini and yellow squash.
Drew's garden was a huge success. We enjoyed the fresh food so much Rouse and I decided we wanted a more permanent garden. And chickens, too! In September of 2007 Rouse built four more raised beds and starting clearing space for the chicken yard. See "The HENstory" on its own page.
We had a successful fall garden, with lots of salad and cooking greens. In the spring of 2008, we added four more raised beds. I successfully grew lettuce, arugula, spinach, chard, kale, mustard and turnip greens, cabbage, brussel sprouts, broccoli and cauliflower, sugar snaps, tomatoes, peppers, okra, green beans, field peas, lima beans, yellow squash, zucchini, eggplant, sweet potatoes, plus, lots of herbs. I had less success with beets, radishes, and carrots.
See the "Evolution of a Garden" page for pictures and more about how our garden has grown!
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2010
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April
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- Bush Beans and Pole Beans Have Sprouted
- Tomato Plants in the Ground
- Blessed rain ... but not enough!
- Green Smoothies
- April 15 - One of my favorite days!
- A Zesty Bouquet!
- Hubby Keeps Wifey Happy in the Garden
- Wow! How things change in a few days!
- The Spinach is Going...
- The Greens are Bolting
- Kale Can Not Take Another 90 Degree Day
- Sick Chick
- First Radishes
- Chicks Take Their Place in the Chicken Yard
- The Chicks Have Moved to the Chicken Coop
- Who Needs Las Vegas? We Have a Garden!
- Growing Chicks
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April
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