The last days before school starts

Laundry basket of rutabaga, growing nicely

With only two weeks left of our school summer break, I'm doing my best to relax before going back to work. 

Franklin and I have a goal to build with every single one of his legos, even the tiny ones.  We started building a tower, but decided to tear it down and try something else.  Over Christmas break we built a beach town with shops, vehicles, and animals like whales and fish--but we didn't manage to use every piece.  We're on a mission!

Pond filter cleared the pond!  What pretty fish

Partner's had some time off too, and will have next week off with us.  Two weeks ago we all went to the beach, on a sunny day.  We even went swimming in the sea!  I really enjoyed paddling about;  I don't think I've swum since I moved here, more than 10 years ago.  I don't even have a swimsuit anymore.  I swam in a black tunic and regular underwear.  I say swim, but I didn't go past my waist, as I didn't want to get swept out.  Still, it was deep enough to duck down and get wet all the way to my neck, and float around.

I've been harvesting vegetables from my garden every day, and some of them are really producing well.  We have so much chard;  over the last two days I've picked 2 pounds of it!  And the runner beans are finally taking off, almost a month later than last year.  But I'm picking them every day, and salting some down for the winter, too.  We've had one zuccini and one cucumber so far.  The zuccini plant had slug damage early on and took a while to recover;  it's still a bit sad.  Cucumber likewise, but at least it's growing more fruits, unlike the poor zuccini.  Still, we might get another couple before the season's done.  And one of my friends from my knitting group gave me a sack of her zuccinis, so all is not lost.

Before going back to school we hope to have a barbecue, maybe go to the beach again, and definitely pick a load of blackberries from the park.  And I'd like to put my log cabin quilt together too:  the top is all finished and it just needs a backing and some wadding (I have both--just need to assemble them).

How we spent our anniversary

Myself and Partner with Chickens;  photo by Franklin

It's our wedding anniversary today.  Erm...which one?  More than 10, less than 15--it's been so long it's hard to remember!  What did we do to celebrate? 

Pond filter

Well, Partner spent a few hours redoing the pond filter--we obtained a second one from his mother--and I assisted him for about an hour.  He emptied the old one, cleaned it out, and we moved and refilled it.  I divided and replanted a pond sedge.  Partner did the same with a pond iris.

Franklin and I moved the chickens to a new patch of lawn.  Partner dusted the hen house with DE (to kill chicken mites).

We all went to the garden center and looked around, and bought three big bags of potting compost;  I planted up an old slightly broken plastic laundry basket, and sowed some seeds in a few trays and planters. 

Laundry basket planter:  classy!

We had beef stew for dinner with a big handful of garden chard (yum).  I picked enough chard to freeze a third of it.  I put yesterday's batch of frozen cherries into a freezer bag. 

I hung out the laundry on the line, and Partner and I both dashed out to save it from the rain (it stopped a minute later).  Franklin and Partner played games on the Wii.  I picked lots of of berberis berries for the chickens;  I staked a tall snapdragon next to the patio.  We ate some of the strawberry rhubarb jam I made, spread on rye crackers.

It was a good day, especially since we spent it together as a family.

Making, remaking, mending

I enjoy making things, particularly out of textiles.  I do all sorts of textile crafts, including knitting, crochet, sewing, quilting, embroidery, and rug making.

T shirt rug

For a year or two I've collected Partner's old worn out t shirts, and this spring I finally took the plunge and made a rag rug from them.  I've made one other rag rug before, by braiding long strips of rags and sewing them together.  That took ages, and was really hard on my fingers.  This new rug was braided/woven in as I went along, with each new round braided into the previous round.  I'm not sure what the technique is called, but it went very quickly;  I think I finished the rug in about a week, from cutting strips to finishing.  This technique only needs short strips of rags, making it a great way to use up scraps.  My rug took 8 men's L and XL shirts, and measures about 4'x3'.  I would definitely make another one;  it was a quick, satisfying project.

Franklin's pullover

I actually knit the above pullover for Franklin last year.  It took me more than a month to complete, and I was so sick of it by the end!  Though I'm very pleased with how it turned out, it was a very tedious knit:  narrow yarn in dark colors.  I won't be making any more dark colored knits like this any time soon. 

Baby v-neck pullover

My mother in law gifted me some of her yarn stash and patterns, and I knit the above and below baby things using them.  I made these without a recipient in mind, but enjoyed making something small and quick.  I think they took me about a week apiece to finish.  I still have quite a bit of leftover yarn;  no doubt more baby things are in the future, if only to use it up.

Baby v-neck cardigan

I generally have a knitting project on the go--at the moment I'm using up more of my MIL's stash to make another pullover for Franklin.  He's getting bigger (six years old now) so it takes longer to finish.  I prefer to finish my current project before beginning something new, but I sometimes have two different crafts at once:  right now my second is a patchwork quilt.  I enjoyed making my last applique quilt so much that I'm even contemplating hand quilting this one too...but I might just tie it instead and be done with it.

Not only do I make textile crafts, I also mend them.  Today I mended two torn seams on my favorite skirt, and patched a hole in an old pair of pajama bottoms.  My pj top could do with some mending too, but maybe I'll save that for another day.  I've got a pair of woolly leggings I sewed last year which I keep darning:  they must have about 50 darns now!  But I love them so much, it's worth my time to keep them going;  and luckily I have matching wool so the darns don't really show.  My other pair of leggings are full of holes, but I'm not sure it's worth it to repair them;  they are storebought, made from nylon and to be honest, don't fit as well or feel as nice as the woollies.  Still, I'm so cheap I might just darn them anyway rather than buy another pair.  Maybe using wool thread so they feel nicer!

Chick update, mid spring in the garden, and rats

Our new chicks are getting bigger and three of them are nearly completely feathered.  We are down to five now (one of the bantam chicks died, and though we don't know for sure, we think it might have been a freak accident involving a boisterous large chick who is prone to step/jump on the small ones).  I'm beginning to suspect that four of them are boys.  I'm certain about two of them, and am tending towards it with two more.  Of the last I'm unsure at this point;  it's the smallest and weakest chick, however, and is only now (at seven weeks) growing some feathers.  I hope it's a girl;  we don't want to have to eat everybody! 

The three big chicks are all still very friendly and curious;  one of them really enjoys sitting on our hands and getting comfy.  Another--the boisterous chick--always comes barging over when we come by, and when we offer treats the strong tiny chick is the first to rush up and grab some;  it can run right underneath the big chicks.  The little weak chick runs away crying if we open their box, or even look at it.

And now on to gardening.  Last year I sowed sorrel seeds and we enjoyed a moderate harvest in the summer.  A perennial, they began shooting up again last month, and I'm amazed at the growth on them.  They are a bit too sour when cooked plainly, but chopped and added to a tomato sauce, make a great veg addition.  It's so nice to have a vegetable from the garden at this time of year!  We've had sorrel a couple times a week for a few weeks now.  Franklin likes to pick and eat them fresh. 

It's not the first vegetable of the year though.  I have harvested a couple leeks, which were sown last spring too;  I still have around a dozen left, but it's about time to get them out of the bed to make room for my beans.  I also have some leftover chard, cabbage (greens, not heads), and of course the rhubarb, all of which have been sampled this spring.

Patio gardening

In the midst of the spring gardening rush, I now have most of my seeds sown, and lots of seedlings planted out.  I have plenty of peas on the go--2/3 of them are planted out now, with the last 1/3 ready for planting;  the oldest batch is about 9 to 12 inches tall.  I'm using my wooden raised bed on my patio as a seed bed temporarily, with vegetables and herbs coming up like crazy.  It's just a mass of greenery at the moment.  I've been moving them out (and eating some of them straight, like the arugula).  In a week or two, I'll plant it with squash and cucumber, I think. 

My onion sets are coming along beautifully, and I have carrot seedlings popping up in my two big planters.  My beet seedlings in the ground seem to be still alive (they were badly mauled last year by slugs).  I bought extra seeds as a precaution. 

Onions growing nicely

I also have new strawberry and asparagus plants out, both from seed.  I still have a few older strawberry plants (two years old maybe?) but my original asparagus died a lingering death several years ago.  I probably got about 20 spears in total from ten plants--over about five years.  Hope these new seedlings are more successful...

And of course, I've got flowers coming up everywhere.  I've planted out about 10 different kinds of flowers grown from seed (marigolds, cosmos, nicotiania, clary, etc), and have plenty of familiar faces blooming now:  tulips, iris, bluebells, honesty.  My two cherry trees are covered in blossom, as is the berberis (an amazing orange), my new Asian pear, the two apples, and the red and black currants.  My plum tree flowered for the first time and is forming tiny fruits;  I'm very excited about it and about the little almond tree.  Last year we got our first almond harvest (25 nuts) and the tree looks much more full and leafy this year.  And there are two little figs forming on my tiny fig tree! 

Main veg garden with white cherry blossom and red tulips

One unwelcome addition to my garden, however, is a family of rats.  We had seen them helping themselves to chicken food, so have taken some measures to discourage them:  chickens no longer have free access to food, but get three supervised meals a day (and all the grass, weeds, and bugs they can find).  Kitchen scraps go into a covered compost bin and not an open pile.  We have raised the hen house slightly, so a curious cat can fit under it:  an eyewitness (that's me) saw a neighboring cat catch a rat next to the house.  This cat has been a regular visitor, and it has made at least one other suspected--though unverified--catch.  Hopefully without an easy source of food and with the help of that thoroughly excellent feline, the rats will move on.

We're doing it again: chicks

It's that time of year:  we bought chicks from a local breeder just over two weeks ago.  We had a rocky start, with a couple fatalities, but now have six chicks in our kitchen.  Like last year, we will be keeping the hens and eating the cockerels, but unlike last year, we don't know which is which just yet. 

We have three big chicks and three little bantams, and the big ones are growing quickly and getting some good feathers now, at nearly 3 weeks old.  The bantams are much smaller, but all have grown a little since we got them.  Our biggest chick is about four times bigger than the smallest!  And has lovely feathers and markings, and I suspect may turn out to be a boy...But everyone is presumed female until proven otherwise, so we refer to them all as "she" and have given them girls' names.  I just hope at least two are hens!  Actually, Partner thinks he might know someone who wants a cockerel for breeding, so we shall see if one gets a reprieve after all.  We simply can't keep cockerels because of our neighbors. 

three day old chicks

Though we don't know the reason for our early fatalities, we believe the first one got chilled (it died the first night).  For the others, I suspect the chick feed--it may have been too big for such small beaks, as further observation showed the little ones having real trouble picking the pieces up and swallowing.  But it may have been something else entirely (Partner's not convinced it was the feed);  we changed to a different feed (smaller pieces), gave them grit, and have been monitering their brooder temperature closely.  We haven't had any more deaths since (knock on wood);  it was certainly very distressing to lose them so early, and not even know the reason.

By getting new chicks I want to ensure a regular supply of eggs--produced most reliably by young hens.  I hope to make a yearly addition to our flock with new chicks, to keep our egg supply constant.  Of course, there will come a time when we are at capacity;  when this happens we plan on eating the oldest hens, to make space for new layers.  This will also give us a source of healthy, naturally raised meat.  I anticipate this happening in another three or four years.  I also anticipate it will be difficult, even more difficult than killing our young cockerels.  But that's life:  everything dies someday, and everything becomes food for something else. 

I would like to note: all our adopted rescue hens will be allowed to live out their natural lifespan and will not be eaten.  Though not explicitly stated, this is implicit in our agreement to adopt them from the hen charity.  We currently have 7 rescue hens;  they typically live around 1-3 years.  

But back to our new chicks!  They're all very cute, very curious, and all different colors and markings;  it's easy to tell them apart.  We don't know what breeds any of them are, other than big and small.  They don't like being picked up, but all willingly jump onto our hands if we offer them food;  I was hand feeding them earlier today, and a small one jumped onto my hand and promptly fell asleep! 

Harvest totals

Main veg garden (Brussels and daffodils and mulch!)

I did it:  I tallied up my garden totals for 2015 and the grand total is 66 pounds* of garden fruit and vegetables.  This includes kale, chard, cabbage, potatoes, zuccini, pumpkin, runner beans, climbing beans, salad greens, tomatoes, Brussels sprouts, and cherries.  It does not include peas, herbs, almonds, strawberries, blueberries, blackcurrants, or apples--or truthfully most of the tomatoes too.  I estimate there would be about 8-10 more pounds with the above included (mainly due to the apples and tomatoes).

*Note:  this is prepared weight;  I weighed everything after trimming/peeling/chopping/etc. 

The most prolific producer was by far the runner beans, producing just under 16 pounds!  The second best producers only came up to about 8 pounds:  kale and zuccini.  I actually couldn't believe I got that much kale, but according to my records, just before the caterpillar blitz, I was picking up to 13 oz a day.  We didn't manage to eat a full 13 oz a day:  some got frozen.  Surplus runner beans were both frozen and salted. 

So far this year I have harvested one leek and some (forced) rhubarb, both weighing in at 5 oz.  I never tried forcing rhubarb before--I put a big upturned black bucket on top of the plant in January and weighed it with a couple bricks so it wouldn't blow away.  I left it for about six weeks and then picked the biggest stems--about a third of them.  I wasn't sure if I should keep forcing it, so I left off the bucket after that harvest.  We had the stems in a stir fry and they were beautifully tender and not too sour. 

Hot bed on my patio

I've started sowing seeds in earnest now, both vegetables and flowers, and some are popping up.  I have a new raised bed/giant planter made of wood next to my house.  It used to be our sofa!  Then it became Franklin's bed frame;  now it's loaded with chicken manure and compost and has seedlings emerging rapidly.  The idea is the chicken manure heats it up from underneath, and the glass shower door (remember it?  it's still here) holds the heat in, encouraging early growth.  I put lots of seeds in it, but typically did not label the rows...  No matter;  I'm pretty good at recognizing seedlings, and I'll transplant to the main garden when large enough, and hopefully grow pumpkins and/or cucumbers in the bed later in the year.  

Ninja kick!  I made this costume out of bits and pieces, including the applique dragon badge

Will this be the year I finally achieve my goal of producing all our vegetable needs for the whole year?  Watch this space!

(When I took my camera out to the garden I couldn't find much of interest.  But in the interests of Not Pretty I figured some realistic photos would do.)

2015 food garden review: discussion and conclusions

My 2015 garden review:  I'm completely unabashed about my lack of photos.  I know it's more fun with photos, but we're just going to go with it.

This winter has been pretty mild so far.  We've had a few more frosts than last winter (which had a few more than the winter before).  I like some good hard frosts to help kill off excess slugs.  Two summers ago we had a plague of them.  Last summer we had an infestation.  Hopfully this coming summer we'll be back to normal proportions.  I can handle slug bites in my vegetables;  it's repeated vegetable fatalities which are hard to accept.  Last summer they demolished all my attempts at root crops and cabbages.  It was dreadful, but at least it was better than 2014, when they killed everything I put in the ground.  I'm not even exaggerating.  Only a few things in my planters and two (small) raised beds managed to survive.

I decided it's no longer worthwhile to direct seed into the ground--because of slug pressure.  Mainly I have direct seeded root and salad crops in the past (up until several years ago this was fairly successful for me).  This year I will be transplanting lettuce, beets and celeriac, sown indoors in trays, and direct seeding carrots into planters.  I've grown carrots in planters before, mainly to avoid carrot fly.  Though not as big, any carrots are better than none.  My two other root crops are onions and garlic;  I planted garlic in November, and it's happily growing away, and I will soon be planting out onion sets.

My pumpkins really benefited from the heavy application of fresh and semi composted chicken manure, producing loads of growth.  However, having them in the ground saw them produce mainly vines at the expense of fruit.  I harvested one medium pumpkin, and plenty of immature ones (picked off to encourage older ones to grow big, and eaten as zuccini).  My one zuccini plant (the slugs killed the others) also had liberal amounts of chicken manure, but was more generous with fruit;  I estimate I picked about a dozen altogether.

Runner beans were planted near the pumpkins and zuccini, with a similarly generous harvest (while attempting to remove their supports yesterday, I discovered that their roots--little tubers--are still alive under the soil.  Maybe they'll grow again this spring?).  We had enough to eat fresh, and also freeze and salt.

Of my four or five volunteer potatoes, we had a great harvest!  I hadn't expected to get any potatoes, not having planted them in 2015, but we ate them fresh for about two months:  they were good sized ones, good flavor, and almost no potato scab (an issue in the past).

Kale and Brussels sprouts were hard hit by caterpillars in late summer, and did not recover well before it turned cold.  I got a few good harvests of kale, both fresh and for the freezer beforehand, but the sprouts weren't ready at that time, and we only got one meal off six plants this winter.  The chickens were allowed to self-harvest the remains after we'd had ours for Christmas dinner, though the plants themselves are still alive and trying to produce a few more sprouts.  I may let them go to seed.

Mostly unaffected by pests were chard, tomatoes, and peas.  Chard was big and beautiful, and some is still growing now;  we had it both fresh and frozen.  I picked my last ripe tomato on Christmas day;  it was growing in my uncovered raised bed next to my house.  There were still a few more orange ones after that, but the slugs found them before I did.  Tomatoes gave only a modest harvest:  enough for eating fresh, but not enough to preserve;  though a few seeds were saved, too.  I think the peas survived better than many others because they were planted quite early before pests were very active.  We mainly ate them fresh, but I also saved about 100 seeds (and the first 35 have already been sown). 

Leeks have been very slow growing, and still not very big!  I harvested the first one (sown from seed last spring) earlier this month.  At least they were not troubled by much.

The chickens have remained a reliable source of food all year;  of our chicks, raised last spring, we ate the six cockerels;  they were about two-three months old when they began crowing.  We killed them over a period of about a month:  the last three we did all on the same day, which was both easier and harder than doing them one at a time.  Two went into the freezer.  We used nearly every part of all them, including most of the innards (other than the gallbladder and digestive system).  The bits we didn't use went into our compost bin (head, feet, and the remains of the bones after making stock).  The pullets began laying regularly since late summer, and continued all through winter.  One was even laying double yolkers.  We currently have eleven chickens, seven of which are rescued hens.

Of fruit, my gallon of morello (sour) cherries in the freezer made a sumptuous cherry pie, following a recipe from the Joy of Cooking.  We had about two dozen gorgeous red Sparta apples, and a few gold/orange Laxton Fortune apples.  There were five Kordia (sweet) cherries, and 25 almonds which went into our Christmas stollen bread.  And two amazing figs, even if some other small creature had the first bite off them (the tree is just over knee height).  I told Partner it was probably a bird, but between you and me it was more likely a rodent...don't worry though, I washed them really well.  We had a few handfuls of both strawberries and blackcurrants, nearly all of which disappeared down Franklin's throat (he also got most of the peas!).

I recorded nearly all of my vegetable harvest last year by weight, though some things were missed off, including things like tomatoes and peas which we just picked and ate.  I didn't record fruit harvest either, other than the morello cherries.  Right now, that data is stuck to the side of my fridge on several sheets of notebook paper.  Time to organize and tally it up, I think.

December garden (and my applique quilt!)

Tomatoes, in December!

In my December garden, there has been one frost, which killed off the pumpkin vines, the nasturtiums, and the one tomato growing in the ground. My remaining tomatoes, in planters next to the house, continue to ripe, one by one.  I even picked a red one today! 

Today's tomato harvest

I can't remember the variety, but they are some kind of salad tomato. Throughout the summer I watered them with diluted urine about 2-3 times a week, and then just normal watering the rest of the time (using collected rainwater when possible). I stopped all watering at the end of August. I also began gradually picking the leaves off at the same time, to encourage the fruit to ripen.  Finally I got my first tomatoes in September:  only enough to eat fresh, which we proceeded to do.  Since then, I have picked about 5-6 tomatoes per week on average, even up until now (December).  I try to pick when they are just turning orange, and then ripen in the fruit bowl (generally overnight), as the slugs will munch them if fully ripe on the vine.  Most of the fruit has been significantly bigger than the one shown above, thankfully!

Main veg patch:  the green bits are Brussels and kale

Compare this photo above with the one from my last post;  the runner beans on the fence are still gently ripening a few more seeds, once they have done so, I'll let the dead vines fall to the ground for in-place composting.  I've already mulched a bit for winter with some moldy straw, and you can see the Brussels sprouts have made a little bit of a comeback from the caterpillar devastation;  in the previous photo they were nothing but bare stems and stalks.  They actually have leaves--and sprouts! now, which we'll be eating at Christmas. 

My pride and joy

After all the amazing growth and vigor of my pumpkin vines, I only got one mature pumpkin.  Last year I had two spindly vines which managed to produce me one each.  Ah well.  This one is bigger than either of them, though admittedly not by much!  The vines actually produced lots of pumpkins, and I kept picking off the small new ones, to encourage the older ones to grow bigger (not a very successful tactic for me, as it turned out);  we ate the small ones as baby summer squash.  At one point I had about five biggish pumpkins growing, but one by one they turned moldy and fell off.  I don't know why.

Garden cabbage

Last year I grew my pumpkins in planters next to the house;  this year I planted them in the ground.  I think, comparatively speaking, growing in planters was better for me;  they took up less space, and I got more mature pumpkins.  I think being in the ground meant they had unlimited access to water and food (it rained a lot, and I'd enriched the soil with plenty of chicken manure), so the vines put out rampant growth at the expense of fruit.  When in the planters, water and food was limited, so the plants put all their effort into making fruit.  That's my theory, anyway.  I don't have a lot of garden space, and to have so much vine growth without any pumpkins was just a waste of growing space.

Love apple quilt:  finished!

Now it's December, there's not much light during the day.  We get a lot of rain and cloud cover, and the sun isn't up for long anyway:  I think we're getting about 8 hours of daylight.  It's not been particularly cold yet, though we've had a few cold days and nights, but winter crops are growing slowly, if at all, because of the lack of light.  Some of the kale has recovered from its caterpillar ordeal, as have the cabbage and spring broccoli, and have strong new growth--all of which I will probably harvest in spring.

Hand quilting stitches, shown from the back

So though still mild, this winter is mainly a time for reflecting on the past year, eating the preserved harvest, and making plans for the upcoming season.

My kitchen window

In my spare time

Almonds!

Since earning my BSc early this year, I have really enjoyed having that extra time back;  I used to devote up to three hours a day to studies--for the past six years!  Well, technically five years, as I took a year off when Franklin was a baby.  Some of my newly regained time has gone to just plain goofing off:  computer games, movies, sleeping...

Love apple appliqued quilt blocks

But really, I've got a bunch of craft projects under my belt these past several months too.  Most recently I'm hand quilting a full sized applique quilt.  The applique and the piecing took very little time compared to hand quilting!  I find it a meditative process, however, and am enjoying it;  and I can't wait for it to be on my bed. 

Main vegetable patch

I also have some time to catch up on six years of housework.  Slowly but surely I'm deep cleaning, decluttering, organizing.  It feels like a monumental task, but by doing a bit each day, little by little it's looking nicer and nicer. 

My gorgeous Sparta apples

Did I mention that I also have a new job?  Not, sadly, in any way related to my new degree though.  In fact, it's a bit of a demotion in terms of title and status.  However, it suits me and I enjoy it:  I work for the local school district, making and serving lunch.  It means no more evenings or weekends, and I only work during school hours--with holidays and summers off.  I had worked as a chef at the hotel for almost ten years, and was just plain tired of the evenings and weekends.  It's so nice to have a day time job, even if it's kind of a menial one, even if I am over-qualified and over-experienced.  And for the most part, it's good to be working with ladies again, instead of young guys who only want to talk about video games, football, and the women they wished they could sleep with.

Someone's been eating my figs

And of course, I have more free time to work in my garden, which has flourished this year.  I have a freezer full of vegetables, and although it's definitely slowed down, I still have a few harvestables left, like leafy greens, pumpkins, and runner beans.  My tomatoes (in big pots on the patio) are still slowly turning red, and not only did I get my first almonds this year, I even got two figs off my tiny fig tree.  So tasty too, even though someone else had a bite of them first.

Newly adopted chicken, looking bedraggled

I got an email from our hen charity, asking if we could please take a few more hens, as they had 500 and if they weren't rehomed that week the poor things would be made into pies (paraphrasing here).  I felt so guilty, I said we'd take five.  Although little and quite bare, they have integrated with our flock quickly and fairly painlessly, and are enjoying life outdoors.  We now have fourteen chickens!  And only our youngest, the four chicks we raised this spring, are laying regularly--we're getting about six eggs a day.  Still, it's worth it, seeing them grow into happy, normal hens--their previous life in cages forgotten.

Growing surplus food, into the freezer

Franklin, recovering from chicken pox

Unlike last year, this year has been great for growing vegetables here in my garden.  I've even had enough surplus to begin freezing.  In fact, I'm a little low on freezer space...

Mallow, feverfew, clematis

The first thing to go in my freezer actually came from my neighbor's garden.  I gave her a couple spare tomato and zuccini seedlings earlier this summer, and then promised to water her small growing patch while she's away for six weeks.  Well, it rained for a solid week, so I didn't bother visiting, and when I finally did, her zuccini had made a monster!  I picked two off her plant, one weighing in at just under 2 pounds, and the other a more modest 1 pound.  I started off my freezer adventures with the monster zuccini (no picture, but I'm sure you know what I'm talking about).

Morello cherries, netted against birds

Though before I started freezing monsters, I froze a whole gallon of morello cherries from my little tree.  This tree is so cute!  It's not even as tall as me, but it had so many cherries this year.  Last year I froze about a third of a gallon, so it was definitely a big increase.

I built this barbecue! It's meant to be wood storage underneath, not brick storage

Next in my freezer saga are the beginnings of my runner beans.  I can't remember the exact number, but I planted approximately 40 plants, up against my neighbor's 1m tall fence.  I hung bamboo canes from the top of the fence with S hooks, and then threaded some cotton string from the canes down to the ground, and tied each string to a bean plant.  The strings and canes are now completely hidden, and I have been picking a large handful of beans every other day, some to eat and some to freeze.

Red geranium, yellow calendula, white feverfew, orange crocosmia

The most abundant vegetable in my garden this year is definitely kale.  I've got two different kinds, Tuscan (dark and crinkly), and Sutherland (smooth and wide).  I think I prefer the Sutherland, as it's less work to clean;  and since the leaves are a lot wider, there is a bigger proportion of leaf to stem:  easier to chop.  They both taste lovely though, the Tuscan a little milder in flavor.

Tuscan kale and orange crocosmia

I've frozen both kinds of kale;  like the other veg, I chop it up, then blanch it for about a minute, and plunge in ice water to cool (shock).  For the kale, I press it into a cup measure, and gently squeeze out excess water, and turn it out onto a tray to freeze, in a little ball shape.  The other veg generally gets spread out over the tray in a single layer.  Once frozen, it goes into a ziploc bag.

Sweet cherry tree, hydrangea, and pink poppy, near the old chicken yard

I've been meaning to freeze some chard this way too, but haven't got around to it.  I've got some absolutely beautiful rainbow chard this year;  I've been saving my own chard seed for years now, and it never disappoints.  This year's is bigger and brighter than ever. 

Main veg plot, viewed from the back

So that's the extent of my freezer exploits thus far, but I anticipate even more.  There's the Brussels sprouts, climbing beans, my own zuccini, leeks, and of course the already mentioned kale, chard, and runner beans.  I also have some which I won't be freezing, namely potatoes, lettuce and cabbage, plus apples and almonds.  Here's to a long and bountiful summer of veg!

Blueberries!

Musing on communication

Reading a post in one of the forums I regularly visit has got me thinking about something I have worked on personally over the past few years:  trying to successfully communicate what I need/want to other people.  I have taken some aspects from Non-violent Communication (there are a couple of good videos on Youtube detailing it);  and from a parenting book called Calmer, Easier, Happier Parenting;  I have found a couple of very useful communication techniques in this book--I use them all the time, with both children and adults. 

Peas on a tripod

Something from Non-violent Communication which almost always works is to say please and thank you--and you're welcome doesn't hurt!  I also try to speak respectfully to people, even if they are not respectful to me.  In fact, with children (who often don't have enough experience in communication and are often reacting emotionally), I will specifically tell them "I need you to speak to me respectfully (or calmly, or nicely, etc)."  It usually works, especially when they realize I am speaking respectfully too. 


From the Calmer book, I have learned to phrase my statements or questions in a positive way, particularly in high stress situations like work.  I'm basically telling people what I want, instead of what I don't want.  For instance, if during the dinner rush, the servers have chucked the dirty plates all over the sink area without stacking them neatly, I will say to the next one who appears with a plate, "will you help me stack these plates up?", instead of, "why aren't these stacked properly?"  The second question doesn't actually accomplish anything except to make the server feel bad, and maybe get defensive and start an argument.  The first one solves the problem without attaching blame to anyone.  I could also say, "when you bring the plates in, will you please stack them up?" 

My little fig cutting, with cute little figs--it's finally growing more leaves

It also works the other way:  say if a salad I made got sent back because the customer didn't want onions, and the server says to me, "why did you send this salad with onions?  It clearly says no onions!"  I can choose not to be defensive about it and simply solve the problem, "ok, I'll make a new one";  or if the server comes in yelling, I can wait until they're finished and say calmly, "there's no need to shout", or "everyone makes mistakes," or anything that won't escalate the situation! and give them a new salad.

It's true that it's easier to write about it than actually do it :)  Both of the above scenarios were fairly typical at the restaurant where I used to work, and I noticed that when I started speaking positively, and not reacting negatively, people responded positively too. 

White peony

Another thing I have taken from Calmer is to notice people's efforts and praise them;  it's also a technique I learned from the Dog Whisperer!  I know it sounds cheesy, like something you do on your kids to raise their self esteem (or your dog), but it really works.  When I use it on adults, I generally (but not always) phrase it as a "thank you":  "thank you for folding the laundry," or "thank you, this dinner is lovely."  Or "I noticed you mowed the lawn;  thank you."  A non-thank you one might be: "Wow, you must have done a lot today;  it looks great in here." It costs me nothing to say, and after a while some people start doing it back to me!  I started doing it with my son, and after a while to my husband, and they now both do it to me and to each other--and neither has read the book!  I have also used it at work with my colleagues: "your Sunday roasts look really nice" or "it looks like you've done a lot of cleaning today".

A final tool in my positive communication toolbox is to genuinely listen to people.  The thing about people who are just waiting their turn to talk isn't such an issue when the other person simply listens;  I'm not naturally a talker, so I find listening pretty easy, and I have learned to ask questions to get people going.  It builds rapport and relationships, which make for better communication in the long run.  As an introvert, I practice my conversation skills with random strangers, like cashiers in shops, or people waiting at a bus stop, or people out in the park walking their dog.  I don't have to worry about building relationships with these people, so it's not a big deal if there's an awkward pause or I make some sort of faux pas!  

The last of the white roosters, having a nap with his sisters

For the most part, I can get along with most anyone now;  it's true there is the occasional person whom I truly dislike, but I still do my best to be respectful and build rapport if I have to deal with them regularly.  I try to see the best in people, and I even try to point out the good to other people.  I did this once a long time ago to my mother when she was complaining about my grandfather (who is admittedly not an easy person to get on with), and she laughed and paid me a compliment:  "you always find something good about a person."  I've always remembered that and tried to live up to it, as it has served me well over the years.

It's true that it takes more than one positive person for healthy communication, but I also think that just one person can start the seeds of positivity in other people.  My home life is so much calmer and happier since I started practicing speaking positively a few years ago.  It took time for it to become habit--and I still have occasionally have to take a deep breath before responding to someone.  But I'm happier and calmer, and I notice that people I interact with are more friendly and respectful to me too. 

Red scented geranium, rose, calendula, rosemary

Food in the summer garden

Life goes on.  A third chickie has become our dinner, and his bones are in the freezer ready to make stock.  He was still small-ish (bigger than the first two, but smaller than any of the adults) but had also begun crowing, so it was into the pot with him.  His demise was only slightly less traumatic than the first.  Partner dispatched him.

Almonds!

There now remain three male chicks, none of whom are attempting much at crowing.  They're almost as big as the adults now, but still lowest in the pecking order, with moderately gentle personalities (the little crowers were a bit more aggressive).  Luckily everyone has now integrated fairly smoothly, though the adults and juveniles still sleep separately.  If the males continue to stay quiet, we will probably not kill them until autumn.  Partner sadly told me that the chicks have outgrown their "mama" now--they not longer come running to him.

Typical kale leaf

More food is growing and being harvested in the garden now.  My new season's kale is my biggest ever;  the most successful variety, Sutherland, is not very tall, but still has an abundance of huge leaves.  I only need about 6-8 leaves for dinner, and as I have more than that many plants, I can easily pick several days in a row.  Sorrel and chard are also big and leafy, and while there are only a half dozen lettuces, there is enough to pick leaves for a couple salads a week. 

Drying fragrant rose petals

Mainly picking leafy greens at the moment;  I anticipate leafy greens will feature heavily on the menu the rest of this year!  Franklin's been eating a strawberry a day for the past week, and it looks as though the cherries, blackcurrants, and raspberries will soon follow--probably about as many raspberries as strawberries, but the cherry tree is loaded, as are the currant bushes. 

Willow arch, leading from patio to lawn

I'm hoping to harvest peas soon, as they've burst out all over in flowers and are forming tiny pods;  the runner beans also have little red blossoms, ready to pop out plenty of beans all summer long.  Last year all my beans died in the New Fence Disaster, and the few peas that grew (in a container) went straight from the plant into Franklin's mouth. 

Rose bouquet

As well as using them fresh, I'm also picking and drying herbs for winter use:  rosemary, hyssop, sage, oregano, lemon balm.  I had hoped to dry some mint, but mine took a severe beating over winter and has barely survived;  not sure how that happened:  I thought you couldn't kill mint even if you tried!  I hope to preserve some vegetables for the winter:  runner beans at the very least.

Thoughts on death and life: raising meat chickens

Our first two chicks have been butchered and eaten.  I wrote a post about my experience on the forums at permies.com, with pictures.  A few of the pictures may be too graphic for some readers, so consider yourself warned!  http://www.permies.com/t/47535/chickens/time-chicken-butchery-photos

The second chick we killed ourselves (the first was killed by an adult hen we think), and I have to say it was pretty traumatic.  Though it was Partner who did it, I still found myself trembly and had to sit down during it.  However, I was able to pluck and dress it;  both Partner and Franklin assisted in the plucking, which was rather time consuming. 

As I grow older, and become more experienced in life both in studying/reading and personal observation, and particularly since becoming a parent, I have developed a greater appreciation of life--I mean life as in living things:  people, animals, plants, insects, fungi, and so on.  I appreciate life in all forms, even ones which are not popular among other members of my species:  like spiders, ants, weeds, rats...  And I have come to believe that all life has the right to exist for its own sake, and as part of the greater ecosystem. 

To this end, I don't like to kill unnecessarily.  Every life has value and is part of something bigger.  I don't kill spiders in my house;  I like spiders--they eat flies.  I don't even kill weeds in my garden (too much work!  and new ones grow in their place anyway), except by sheet mulch while planting new plants;  when the weeds are too big, I simply cut them back for mulch, or let the chickens trim them for me. 

And I have gradually become more socially conscious which is not something I discuss much;  for instance, I can simply no longer eat or buy shrimp and prawns after reading about the use of human slavery in that trade.  (Link to article about the Thai prawn industry.)  And I care about where my clothes come from--I try to buy them and other household goods from charity shops;  this way my money is going to charity, rather than lining the pockets of the 1% at the expense of sweatshop workers in the third world. 

And I care about animal welfare, who I believe have just as much right to a natural life as we humans, and the rest of the biological community.  Meat animals should be able to express their instincts naturally, just as wild animals do.  As a life-loving meat-eater, I want my meat to come from happy, natural animals.  Animals whose needs for sunshine and real food, social interaction with their own kind, and the ability to just be, have been met.  And just like wild animals, they should form part of the food chain, going on to feed other beings (like me) after their death.

Ok, getting off soapbox now.

But.  Here's the thing.  I don't have access to the kind of meat I want.  The meat we buy from our butcher has a higher welfare standard than the supermarket, but it is still far from my ideal.  If I want that high quality meat, I have to provide it for myself, and that means taking responsibility.  Responsibility for an animal, both in life and death. 

And I have to reconcile these two ideas:  that I believe life should be able to live, and that I believe I should eat meat raised naturally (or ethically, if you like). 

What's more, I have a drive to produce my own food, as much as possible.  I know the health benefits of garden-grown produce, as well as the superiority of flavor;  a chef by profession, I have a love of good food, and as a mother I want to provide my family with the best nutrition available.  And through my experience I have learned that my particular garden is not ideal for growing masses of vegetables year round because of shade issues--but it's good for growing grass.  Grass that I can't eat, but chickens can.

Our chickens have the best life I can give them, which is certainly better than the butcher's chickens, raised by the thousand in closed barns.  It's true, I have a relationship with my chickens, unlike those faceless barn chooks.  It was very hard to kill that first one (and I didn't even wield the knife!), who I had raised and cared for since he was a tiny baby--so hard to take away his life so that I could eat him.  And yet I know that his life is worth no more or less than mine;  I will die too one day, and other living beings will eat me.  We are all part of that circle of death and life.  That chick may not be alive, but he is part of me now.  When I die, I too will become a part of something else.

 

PS  He was really tasty