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May 31, 2010

Harvests and spinning and snakes and stuff!

So snakes shed their skin. I imagine they get itchy and warm, humid air, moist soil and slightly irregular pots must make it more comfortable for the beast. He left his skin in my plants a few days ago. Ick... My sweetie was brave and took a stick to move it from my plants to the back of our property. I thought then he might be gone for at least another year, but no..... today I found him between a bag of composted manure and a metal tray! I imagine that was pretty hot to touch, but it was already 31C outside, so who really knows what the silly serpent was thinking. I'm just not used to seeing him there yet and am not sure I'll ever be.

I harvested the radishes. I ate one to test it out. It was supposed to be a mild radish, but it was burn the back of your tongue hot. Now, I don't mind nippy radishes, but if it's too hot for me, then it's no-one else here will eat them. So they're all pulled out and I'll plant either more radishes and hope they grow more quickly, greens or some carrots there. I also harvested the first salad. It's spinach, green romaine, red romaine, an oak leaf and two different leaf lettuces. I'm pretty sure that without some help, the romaine won't head up, so I'm just picking the leaves.

Also, I picked Basil, Lovage for tonight's pasta sauce and some mint for yummy tea. Now, if it actually rains, instead of just threatens to rain, the beans, potatoes, corn, beets, carrots and a variety of salad greens might actually germinate!
What's left to plant? Beans... I'm staggering these in hopes of getting an extended harvest. A few herbs, the weld and some flowers is all.

I've been sampling different breeds of sheep fibre. It's not my favourite thing to do, I will admit. I much prefer spinning for a particular purpose or at least some fibre I really like with a general idea of the end product. However, it's homework for the course I took. It could get quite overwhelming if one put this sort of thing off too long, so I'm just doing it. It does cut into the other play time and sure doesn't feel productive.

There are a couple of the chooks which have been trying to roost. We've still got a couple of the chick feeders in use and I find them roosting on those. The small chick waterers have been removed, but they were roosting on those as well. They can't roost on the 5 gallon one because the top is different. Today I found one roosting on the brooder lamp wire of all places. So this evening, my sweetie built them a roost. They are still at the this is curious and I'm not sure what it is stage, but at least they're curious. I don't imagine the white meaties will use it much, as they're already pretty big, but the girls will, once they figure out what it's for.

4 comments:

  1. Hurray for that 1st salad! I'm wondering though, if too hot radishes could be lacto-fermented. I'm not real keen on radishes anyway and it's too warm here for them most of the time, so ours do get hot.

    Your chicks are growing fast! It's funny how they pick such odd spots to roost at first.

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  2. Those look like the Daikon radishes my parents always planted and insisted were mild. I don't understand radishes - they taste bad to me. And my basil froze so I have to start over. I WILL have pesto, darnit.

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  3. Mmmm...those radishes look yummy...can I come to your house for dinner!

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  4. Leigh, I'll have to admit being less fond of lacto-fermented stuff than of the hotness. I'll try the radishes again, even if I have to water them. So far they are ignoring the roost completely!

    Sharon- mmmm I love Daikon, especially fast pickled in a little rice vinegar and sugar. I've no idea why I grew these icicle radishes and not daikon! Have you thought of cloches to protect the tender herbs from late frosts?

    Jody - if you wait until the fall we have have chicken for dinner :)

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