Harvest Totals: June 2012

As expected, our garden harvest has started to increase with the warmer weather.  I'm thrilled that our ROI is firmly in the positive range, and should only increase for the rest of the year. 

We are now harvesting green beans and cherry tomatoes regularly, and this month we harvested half of the yukon potatoes (the rest will be harvested in July).  Our Rutger tomatoes are just now ripening, which means we will have a large tomato harvest starting in July. We also harvested the garlic this month, but didn't weigh them yet, so they are not included in this graph.

Plot of backyard harvest values.  Each vegetable type is weighed separately over the course of the month,
and the value per pound is based on local farmers market prices. 

Angel, we will miss you.

It is with a heavy heart that I write today's post.  The historic heat wave that swept across the central and eastern United States caused the temperature in our area to reach 103 degrees Fahrenheit.  Prior to this heat wave, the weather had been very mild.

When we returned home on Friday afternoon, we checked on the chickens and brought them a fan and cold water.  We found poor little Angel lying on the ground panting desperately.  We took her inside to try to save her, but our efforts were in vain.  The sudden heat wave was too much for Angel.

We are heartbroken.

Angel was our favorite hen in the flock--she had enough personality for 10 chickens.  She was quirky, and beyond sweet. I think she was the most appropriately named chicken in the flock, because she really was a little angel. She never picked on any of the other chickens, and she was full of nothing but kindness. Of all the chickens, she was always the most excited to see her human caretakers.  She would run up to us, follow us around the garden, and sometimes even enjoy a ride on our shoulders.  

Angel, as a chick, playing in a tube.

Even as a young chick, she was always up to something.  She was very curious, and found things to play with.  She was only a couple of months old when she started to fly onto our shoulders.

A young Angel and my husband.

Angel and me.

Angel was a very photogenic chicken: I think this had something to do with her fondness for us.  She would always run right up to me and pose for the camera.  Luckily, because of this, I have a ton of pictures of her.

I put windows between the chickens and the trellis to keep
them from eating the plants... it wasn't very effective on Angel.

Angel loved to jump on everything.

I used to say that the chickens were my favorite part of the garden, and that is true.  But when I said it, what I really meant was that Angel was my favorite part of the garden.  She made me smile every single day, and she managed to touch our hearts.

I knew we wouldn't have the chickens forever, but it has been painful losing Angel so unexpectedly and so soon.  Without her, the garden seems so empty.

In the evenings, JC (our head hen) always clucks at the bottom of the coop telling the others to come home.  One of Angel's quirks was that she was always the last to return.  Once she was safely in the run, JC would quit clucking and go to roost.

Every evening since her passing, I have stood outside and watched our little flock of 4 walk back to their run after free-ranging.  After the other 3 chickens have gone inside to roost, JC stands in the run clucking and looking for Angel for a few minutes before she reluctantly goes to bed.

Eventually, JC will stop waiting for Angel.  And I know with time, this sadness will fade and be replaced by all the fond memories Angel created with us. 

Angel, we will love you and miss you. Always.

Angel
May 2011 - June 2012

A tale of 3 peas

Back in the fall, my husband and I were discussing growing peas for the first time this spring.  I wanted snow or snap peas, so he suggested getting both.  He ALSO suggested getting shelling peas.

Snap peas

I immediately turned up my nose and refused: "I don't like shelling peas! I don't want to waste my precious garden space on them."

But, he was insistent on growing the shelling peas, so I begrudgingly offered to let him grow the shelling peas on the garden fence, thinking this way 'MY' peas would have the premium trellis locations that are safe from the deer.

And sure enough, the deer got to the shelling peas, severely limiting their production. But the little guys persevered and produced enough for 4 large helpings of shelled peas in the spring.

This is where I'd like to end the story, because I don't want to admit that my husband was right and I was wrong (he takes too much delight in it).  But, in all honesty -- I was wrong.

I LOVED the shelling peas -- they were absolutely fantastic!  And to shame myself even further: I didn't like the snap and snow peas very much.  My favorite peas of the three varieties we grew were the shelling, and I wish we'd grown nothing but the shelling because I enjoyed them so much.

These snow peas are part of my lunch -- they are just
sitting on my desk staring at me. I'm not very excited about
eating them.

You live, you learn.

We decided that this fall and next spring, we are only going to plant shelling peas.  I wonder how productive they will be without being half-eaten by the deer?

Here are the varieties we grew:
Mammoth Melting Sugar Snow --> Super productive, but not great tasting.
Sugar Ann Snap --> Pretty tasty, but not very productive.
Green Arrow Shelling  --> AWESOME tasting!

Chicken Chatter: A late bloomer

I never really gave much thought to chicken development. But apparently chickens, just like people, do things in their own time and at their own pace.  A while back I posted about our Jersey Black Giant, Johnny Cash, who for a long time had no prominent comb or wattles.  For contrast, Pebbles (our other Jersey Black Giant hen) had a nice large red comb and wattles -- seen in the picture below (bottom right).

Johnny Cash (left) had no comb or wattles for months. Pebbles
had a large red comb and wattle early in her development.

Ironically, even though she looked like she wasn't maturing, she was one of our first chickens to start laying eggs, and she is one of our most reliable layers.  She is also head hen -- a very graceful leader of the flock.  Then, rather randomly, at about 8 months of age, ONE of Johnny Cash's wattles developed.  For months, we called her the 'one wattle wonder'.

Johnny cash with one developed wattle.

Then over the last few weeks, Johnny Cash finally developed her second wattle, at the youthful age of 14 months.

'I'm ready for my close-up now.'

 I guess Johnny Cash is just a late bloomer.

Harvesting Garlic

Recently harvested garlic.

In the interest of full disclosure, I decided that in addition to a picture of a large impressive garlic (above), I should also show a rather pathetic, 'why did I bother planting this' garlic bulb (below).

Some garlic didn't live up to their potential.

Garlic with tops falling down.

I decided to harvest the garlic after their tops all fell down (you can see them starting to fall over in the above picture, which was taken a week ago).  I didn't get a just-prior-to-harvest shot, because by the time I got out to help harvest the garlic, my husband had already ripped them all out of the ground. Got to love his enthusiasm:

Garlic-less bed.

Below are some of the harvested garlic in a basket.

Another garlic picture!

We put a line across our shed porch, and hung the garlic across the line to dry.  Once they are dry, we will weigh them and prepare them for storage!  We're anxious to find out whether or not the garlic paid for themselves.

Garlic hanging out -- to dry.

Harvest Totals: May 2012

I'm pleased with our steady improvement in our garden every month.  This month, we harvested 23 lbs of produce and 87 eggs, for a rough value of $118.  The most exciting part of this month is that our Return on Investment is finally positive at $28! Our combined value of produce and eggs this year (based on local farmer's market prices) is almost $400. Our investment cost is based on the amount of money spent on seeds, potato seeds, plants, soil, electricity/water for seed starting, chicken feed, etc.  All garden-related expenses are added to the investment cost--ours was roughly $370 so far this year.

Our poundage went down from last month, but our estimated value grown increased because we were mostly harvesting collards last month, and this month we harvested a ton of snap and snow peas (which are more expensive than collards, here).

Chicken Chatter: Angel, the loud chicken

Before I got chickens, I never gave any thought to the noise that they made.  I knew that roosters crowed--but what noise did hens make?

As our young chicks matured into young hens, they lost the cute 'peep' and replaced it with their mature adult voices.  Most of our chickens make pleasant noises--small coos and clucks. Perhaps, the occasionally louder 'HEY!' at another chicken if they are upset.

But then, there is Angel.  I've already described how Angel is a flat out bizarre chicken with a lot of personality.  But one of her most defining characteristics is the way she vocalizes.

I'll be out in the garden, all will be quiet, and suddenly the peaceful scene is broken by a loud 'BAACCCHHHKK!!'.   Or at least, that is how I guess you might spell Angel's language.  She loves to make a lot of noise, and she really likes to talk to her human companions.  If she can't see me, she makes much less noise.  But if you're in view--she's going to let you know she's there!

I took this video of Angel talking. Enjoy!