chickensinthegarden

Oak Titmouse

2011-11-06T14:12:00.000-08:00

There are so many birds in the garden now. We have five hummingbird feeders, and so we get lots of hummingbirds. We have jays and crows, of course, and some finches and woodpeckers too. This morning I saw what I later identified as an Oak Titmouse. This small bird has a little topknot making it quite distinctive looking.

I found a website with some excellent photos by Robert Royse of Oak Titmice at various times of the year in California. Here is the link: Oak Titmouse photos

This titmouse is related to the Tufted Titmouse, however they are found primarily on the East Coast while the Oak Titmouse is found in California and Oregon. What a pleasant little bird. I'm next going to try to listen to it...

A beginning birder I am...

Morning's harvest

2011-09-29T09:30:00.000-07:00

Today, nearing the last day of September, there is still a wonderful harvest from the vegetable garden. The bean plants are pumping out beans--mostly the thin, French filet-type, Emerite. The tomato plants are still producing--Pineapple Rainbow and Early Girl and Big Rainbow here. And, for the first time, I have plenty of basil to use in bruschetta and in tomato sauces as well as making our own pesto!

Some Morning Pickings

2011-08-29T09:49:00.000-07:00

Here is a photo of some of the morning pickings from the vegetable garden. Some seeds I got in late this year, including the Cocozelle summer squash, a striped Italian variety. This is the first zucchini from that plant. Next to it is a Spacemaker cucumber: we have enjoyed many of these in salads so far this year. There are two varieties of pole beans in the basket: Emerite, a thin filet-type bean, and Trionfo Violetto, a purple Italian variety. One lonely Early Girl tomato is shown, but some days we harvest 6 or 7 of these. The heirloom tomatoes that were planted are starting to ripen, but we didn't pick any today. Also there is a yellow scallop summer squash in the basket.

I can't wait until the eggplants are ready, and many more of the tomatoes and peppers. I'll have to get plants in earlier next year, although we will probably enjoy good, fresh summer vegetables from our garden into September and October.

Blogiversary!

2011-08-01T06:13:00.000-07:00

It is the blogiversary for my Chickensinthegarden blog! Five years of writing for this blog! My loyal readers and fans: thank you for reading. It has been great fun to post photos of the garden and relate sagas about the chickens and gardening here in our little spot in northern California.

Right now the Pink Pearl apples are falling off of the trees. The Early Girl tomatoes are producing well, as are some of the summer squash. I got a late start on the pole beans but the vines are growing taller every day. The purple spouting broccoli was planted too close to the other plants, but it is healthy and thriving and we should be able to eat some of the broccoli very soon.

The French prune plums are ripening, and we've started to pick some for drying. The squirrels are eating lots of the plums this year.

Both the Red Russian Kale and the regular green kale are growing well, and the eggplants and pepper plants are very healthy. We've got some chard and red onions too, and we've harvested and are drying the garlic.

Pink Pearl Heirloom Apple Tree

2011-07-22T16:11:00.000-07:00

Look at all the apples on our Pink Pearl Heirloom Apple Tree. They should be ready to eat in about 3 weeks, if not sooner. I've written about this tree before on my blog--the flesh is pink and you can easily make pink applesauce out of the great apples, without adding any food coloring!

R.I.P. "Big Connie"

2011-07-22T16:07:00.000-07:00

Our very old Araucana chicken, "Big Connie" died today and I buried her in the backyard. She had been getting progressively weaker and we had to isolate her from the other hens, for they would attack her rather viciously. She used to be the top on the pecking order, but with her arthritis, deformed foot, and aging, she fell to the bottom of the pecking order.

She used to lay bluish-green eggs, but had not laid many eggs in the past two years. We didn't feel comfortable just killing her off for lack of productivity, so she died comfortably and at a quite advanced age. We weren't sure how old she was when we got her, but we've had her for almost six years. She may have been around four years old when we got her, so she had a long life for a chicken.

Here's a photo:

Jubileum Plum Tree

2011-07-16T14:50:00.000-07:00

Our new Jubileum Plum Tree has its first plums this year. They are so very pretty on the tree.

We purchased this tree through Raintree Nursery, a nursery located in Washington state that has many interesting cultivars. I have ordered many of our fruit trees through this nursery. Jubileum was bred in Sweden and is a pink-purple plum. Much larger than our French prune plums, this plum looks like it will be great for eating, jam or jelly, and plum tarts! We dry most of the harvest from our French prune plum trees. I'm curious to find out what color the flesh is of our Jubileum plum, but we'll have to wait a few more days until they are fully ripe to find out.

Gardening

2011-06-16T07:47:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday I worked the Master Gardener booth at the Healthy Living Fest at Quarry Lakes Regional Park. The day was cold and very windy, and the skies were overcast until I left after 1 pm. I worked with two other Master Gardeners. We answered gardening questions and handed out sunflower seeds and pots (with planting instructions) to the kids who visited the booth. We also gave out handouts to gardeners who had questions about pests or diseases, or may have questions in the future. A great site is the University of California Davis IPM site, where answers can be found to many gardening questions. Here's the link: UC Statewide Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Program

This is an invaluable resource. Master Gardeners strive to give the least toxic methods to deal with gardening and landscape problems, and refer to this site to help the public.

I was also happy to hear so many people in the process of converting their water-demanding lawns to drought tolerant landscapes. Alameda County Master Gardeners has a great list on drought tolerant plants that do well in the East Bay. We are also in the process of creating a demonstration garden at Quarry Lakes Regional Park. This demonstration garden will allow the user to view drought tolerant plants and learn what will grow well, once established, in this area with very little water.

Roasted Artichokes, Spring Garlic, and Other Seasonal Delights

2011-05-10T15:50:00.000-07:00

Last night I roasted some of our homegrown artichokes in the oven. I halved the artichokes, drizzled a bit of olive oil over them, and sprinkled them with sea salt and pepper. I roasted them until the hearts were done, and maybe even a bit longer than I should have. The edges were quite charred and crisp, but we enjoyed them for dinner dipped into some mayonnaise. It was a new taste for us!

This weekend I harvested our first spring garlic and cooked it in a stir fry with snow peas, onions, and fava beans. Delicious.

The garden has been producing something for most meals--mainly fava beans, even though I planted only one row last winter, but also snow peas and Yugoslavian red lettuce. Plenty of good spring produce.

Beautiful Spring Weather

2011-04-05T09:59:00.000-07:00

Well, Spring has sprung, and we are busy keeping up with the weeds, and transplanting some of the vegetables that I started inside. Also set out a couple of tomato transplants too. The garlic is growing well, and the fava beans seem very happy. The lettuce has taken off, and we even have six or seven asparagus shoots--they don't seem to get ready at the same time, so sometimes we split one for a side dish at dinner--it's kind of sad that there's just one at a time, but they are tender and oh so fresh.

Rain and More Rain

2011-03-18T17:24:00.000-07:00

I got caught in the rain earlier today when I had to get my groceries from the store to my car. I shopped at a different grocery store today and parked my car further away. When I was done checking out, I got to the exit door where a line was forming. Outside, it was raining very heavily, but I decided it looked like it would not let up. I rushed with the cart and my groceries towards my car, but by the time I had unloaded everything, my coat and my jeans were soaked through. I waited a bit before driving off, and when I got home, I ran for the front door, leaving the groceries in the car. I took a warm bath, hung up my soaked rain jacket and my jeans, hoping they would dry as they were just above the small heat register in the bathroom.

I thought Spring was here and we were going to be done with the rains! But the forecast for northern California shows rain every day on into next weekend. Of course, that could change, and it is great for the garden, but it makes it impossible to weed and plant in the garden. The grass was just mowed last week and it is already several inches long. Ah, well.

I started some seeds indoors, and within five days my Cherokee Purple tomatoes and my Rainbow Chard sprouted. Today the Cucumbers also sprouted. Nothing from the pepper seeds yet. I'll keep watch.

Wisteria and More Fruit Tree Pruning

2011-01-30T08:12:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we worked more on the pruning. With 37 fruit trees, there is a lot of pruning required at this time of year. The apples in front are done, but the two in the back remain. The large, old wisteria plant received quite a pruning back yesterday. It had become ungainly. For years it was shared with the neighbors, although the plant is rooted on this side. Then, awhile back, the neighbors decided they did not want it on their side, so we've been trying to train it along the fence, but it just has not been cooperating well. Maybe because it was on the other side (primarily) for so many years.

Jonathan worked at pruning the right side of the wisteria, and then after this rain we will work on the left side. It would be nice if it still created some privacy along with its beautiful blooms.

Later, Jon worked on the avocado tree. We get lots of Bacon avocados this time of year, but the tree itself has grown far too tall, so he cut it back a little.

During the week I worked on the plum tree in front, the apples, the grapes, and started on the apricot tree. I'm a little insecure about the Blenheim apricot--turns out it is a full sized tree and growing very well, but I think from what I've read that I should prune it back quite a bit. The resource I'm reading says to prune back last year's branches. How do I figure out which are last year's though. I guess I should tie markers onto the fruiting branches or something this year. It doesn't appear that you can tell anything from the spurs on the branches...

RIP Little Connie

2010-12-24T17:44:00.000-08:00

Our little araucana chicken, Little Connie, died the other day. I think I'll always have the vivid memory of my husband walking in the side door with a dead chicken in his arms. I think he wasn't sure what to do. Little Connie had to be at least 8-10 years old, as we got her from someone on Craig's List when she was 2-3 years old, at least... She laid the bluish-green eggs, until the last few years when she was really just hanging out, and as new chicken ranchers, we are not brave enough to cull our flock by killing, so we've let the older hens enjoy a retirement here in Niles.

Little Connie always reminded me of my great aunt in her later years. They both had a very stiff-legged walk, seemed to be suffering from arthritis, but maintained a very formal, proper sort of dignity. They also both became skinnier as they aged.

RIP Little Connie...

More Niles Pie Company Pies

2010-11-29T07:48:00.000-08:00

We've been tasting lots of Carolyn's creations over the past several weeks, and we're developing a list of favorites, especially the Chocolate Pecan Puddle:

For Thanksgiving, we ordered a slew of pies, but especially enjoyed the Bourbon Pumpkin Pie:

As the pie aged by a day or two the bourbon flavor came through much stronger, it seemed!

Niles Pie Company

2010-10-23T10:33:00.000-07:00

Carolyn has started a new company in Niles (Fremont, CA)--Niles Pie Company. The first pies were available for pickup last night at our local grocery store, Mr. Mikey's. We ordered a scrumptious pear-almond galette, and it was just wonderful! Congratulations to Carolyn for starting a wonderful company. Go to the website and place an order, pay by paypal or credit card and pick up on Friday locally at Mr. Mikey's Country Store!

Pies and Tarts, oh my...

2010-08-16T12:50:00.000-07:00

We have too much fruit around here! We've been making jam, tarts, pies, cobblers, dehydrating French prune plums, and sharing the extra produce. Today I picked some rhubarb, as our plants have gone a bit wild. The pink pearl apples, as well as the Cox's orange pippin apples are falling off the trees. We also still have some peaches. So I just finished baking two desserts. First, a rhubarb-apple crumble-topped pie, and then a peach tart with meyer lemon and cinnamon sugar.

Citrus Bud Mite

2010-07-18T10:50:00.000-07:00

It is strange that such a tiny pest can cause such great distortions in fruit, but the Citrus Bud Mite (see UC Davis Integrated Pest Management site on Citrus Bud Mite).

I picked this Eureka lemon from our tree last week. The pictures show how "alien" the fruit can look:

The fruit almost looks like a hand with very large fingers.

Red Cabbage

2010-07-15T08:21:00.000-07:00

We harvested the last red cabbage from the winter planting. It weighed 7 lbs after the large outer leaves were removed! Wow! That's the largest one I've ever grown. Now, what to do with the red cabbage: sweet and sour cabbage? cabbage slaw, again? It does seem that although the red cabbages are prettier in the garden they are not as versatile as green cabbages. I don't think they make sauerkraut out of red cabbage, do they?

Cauliflower

2010-06-12T13:21:00.000-07:00

In the above photo, the cauliflower looks kind of small, but it is actually a typical grocery-store-sized one. I was surprised we had this perfect cauliflower growing in our winter vegetable garden. I thought that a green cabbage just had some ungainly, wild leaves, and that the head wasn't forming correctly. I peeked inside the leaves yesterday and discovered this full, 8-inch cauliflower growing happily inside. Today we picked the head and we'll eat it tonight, probably steamed with a little butter and salt.

The leaves are so healthy looking with very little cabbage moth infestation. We can use the giant leaves in a stir fry too, or feed them to the chickens.

Here's another view of the cauliflower in the garden, just before cutting:

We harvested our first red cabbage

2010-06-11T13:48:00.000-07:00

We harvested our first red cabbage last weekend and planned on making both coleslaw and some sweet and sour cabbage with it. We got the cabbages in kind of late this winter, so the harvest time is later than usual and the cabbages are a bit smaller than in years past.

Our Little Grapefruit Tree

2010-05-27T11:40:00.000-07:00

Our little grapefruit tree has had 2 fruits so far--one each year. This photo was taken in March, and shows the large grapefruit on the teeny tree. The variety is Rio Red and the tree seems quite healthy despite the fact that it has not grown too much yet. Perhaps I should have not let it fruit and concentrated on growth these first few years.

The tree has been a magnet for snails the last two months, and here in California the rains have continued. Normally by now the rains would have stopped, but the wetness is creating a terrific environment for snails and slugs. The fruit is much yellower now, almost ready to pick.

Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs with Fried Sage Leaves & Feta Cheese

2010-05-23T07:57:00.000-07:00

Along with fresh-squeezed orange juice from our tree, we enjoyed these scrambled eggs (from our hens) with fried sage leaves (Berggarten sage--a cultivar used in cooking with large leaves) and feta cheese. It was awfully good. I'm starting to get a bit addicted to fried sage leaves--we also had them the other night, served on top of some lemon roasted chicken.

Here's a photo of breakfast:

Rhubarb-Strawberry Custard Pie with Meringue

2010-05-23T07:52:00.000-07:00

Last night I made this pie, a variation from a recipe in Joy of Cooking. The only problem with it is that our rhubarb is a green variety with only a bit of red on the stalks, so that when mixed into the custard the greenish-yellow color is a bit off-putting. That's why I added some strawberries to this, to help with the color. Last time I made this pie, it was all-rhubarb (the Victoria rhubarb we grow in our garden), and the color unfortunately has led to our daughter refusing to eat rhubarb. I'm hoping to some day win her back.

Here's what the pie looked like:

Pasta with Spring Garlic, Favas, and Meyer Lemon Sauce

2010-05-22T06:32:00.000-07:00

This is a slight variation of a recipe by Annie Sommerville in her cookbook, Fields of Greens. I cooked up some fettucini in a large pot. In a separate pan I sizzled spring garlic in olive oil, added frozen sliced peppers from Trader Joe's, as well as some fava beans from our garden. Later I added the zest and juice from one meyer lemon as well as pepper, salt, and minced Italian pasley. After draining the pasta, I added it to the hot skillet with the vegetables, stirred things around a bit, and then served the pasta in a large bowl, topped with shredded parmesan cheese and some fresh chive blossoms, also from our garden. Voila!

Here is what it looked like:

Favas!

2010-05-21T15:10:00.000-07:00

The fava beans have grown to be huge, and the time has come to pull out the plants and to finally get my summer garden planted. I've been busy making a kind of fava hummus by preparing the favas and mushing them well, but not too much, adding garlic and olive oil and then enjoying this spread on some good Italian bread.

I recently saw a recipe that uses a meyer lemon sauce and fava beans and your choice of other spring vegetables--such as asparagus-- mixed into fettucine pasta. Sounds delicious and I think I'll try this this weekend.

Pink Pearl Apple Blossoms

2010-04-15T17:55:00.000-07:00

Our pink pearl apple tree has been abundantly full of blossoms this year...more than in previous years, it seems. I think that the apple tree has been enjoying our very wet spring.

Artichoke, Plum, Peach

2010-04-14T12:19:00.000-07:00

The photo above shows part of our artichoke plant, young peach tree, crabapple, and in the background the blooing French prune plum trees.

Chickens on the Deck

2010-03-21T12:27:00.000-07:00

Our Australorp and two White Orpingtons on the Deck, enjoying the spring weather...

Artichokes soon...

2010-03-13T08:48:00.000-08:00

This artichoke plant looks very healthy. I keep peeking down the center, but I don't see a baby artichoke yet. Maybe with the sunny weather next week they will start to show themselves...

Time to make a Rhubarb Pie!

2010-03-09T07:46:00.000-08:00

It is time to get out the recipe book and make a rhubarb pie! This plant is doing very well, and the other two that I grew from seed are also starting to send out some stalks and leaves. Yum!

Calamondin

2010-03-08T17:48:00.000-08:00

A close up of some ripe calamondin--a fruit popular in the Philippines.

Not too much longer...almost Spring!

2010-02-23T08:10:00.000-08:00

Here it is, last week in February. We've had a dry week, but now the rains are starting up again. Our apricot tree is starting to bloom, as is the peach tree. The plum trees look about to burst into bloom and I hope that that happens during a dry spell so the blooms can be pollinated and we can have a large harvest like most years.

The fava bean plants look so happy in the winter garden. The ones I planted earlier are tall and blooming. The shorter ones seem to have growth spurts every few days. The garlic, too, looks happy. We are eating salads out of our garden every several days. The broccoli plants are also producing. The avocado tree (Bacon) was very prolific this year, and the meyer lemons look ready to pick for meyer lemon sorbet and marmalade. I've still been making blood orange marmalade in small batches, and we are juicing our oranges every several days, and giving away oranges and avocados.

I've been checking for asparagus shoots. They should be coming up soon. We have lots of rhubarb, and the plants that I grew from seed are now sending our leaves as well. Just planted a redder rhubarb too, so now we have four rhubarb plants--should be enough!

The Very Last of the Hachiya Persimmons

2009-12-29T08:54:00.000-08:00

For this year, these are the last of the Hachiya persimmons on our tree. I really like the look of the persimmons after all of the leaves have fallen off the tree. The birds enjoy the fruits, but there are some of our neighbors who feel all fruit growers should harvest the fruit all at once. I bumped into the neighbor who volunteered to come over and take down the remaining persimmons. I offered to pick them myself and brought them another bag full...but I left a few still on the tree for the birds. The following day six crows tried to eat the remaining fruits and I feared for my tree branches, so I harvested the rest of the fruits to make into persimmon bars and cookies.

Busy with Christmas and planting Garlic

2009-12-16T09:07:00.000-08:00

Between the rainstorms, I have been trying to get my garlic crop in for the winter. I noticed that the garlic cloves I planted two weeks ago have now sprouted well. I also am trying to get my fava beans in. Some of the favas have germinated on their own: fava beans that had fallen last spring and not been picked up have now grown to be about a foot tall. Most of the fava beans were harvested last year, however, so I need to also get those into the ground so we can have another good crop next spring.

I'm still harvesting my Hachiya persimmons. The tree was overloaded with them. We leave some of them on the tree for the birds, but use the rest (or give them away). I've been slicing the hard persimmons, which are too astringent to eat that way, and drying them in my dehydrator. They sweeten up as they dry and make a great dried fruit snack. I also have been making pan after pan of persimmon bars, frosted with a lemon glaze. Yum.

Wisteria Pods are Bursting!

2009-12-03T08:22:00.000-08:00

This Sunday was a gorgeous day in northern California. I worked outside in the garden for a bit. We have a lovely wisteria that has grown up into a privet tree. I kept hearing a cracking sound coming from the wisteria and I thought that a squirrel was cracking something up there, perhaps branches or nuts.

Later on, I watched the wisteria from our deck. At the same instance when the cracking sound happened I saw a wisteria pod falling through the air and to the ground. I realized that the temperature outside and condition of the pod had made it the perfect time for the pods to burst and send seeds flying--the hopes for more wisteria in the future.

Chicken in Napa

2009-11-29T08:37:00.000-08:00

Chickensinthegarden blogger Kris went to Napa for her birthday yesterday and found a giant chicken. This photo was snapped outside Wilson's Feed & Supply in Napa. We celebrated by buying some laying feed and cracked corn and then onto a lovely lunch at Ubuntu, the fine vegetarian restaurant in downtown Napa.

Persimmons, Again!

2009-11-12T08:32:00.000-08:00

A tray full of Hachiya persimmons...

Our tree is bountiful again this year. I picked these persimmons a bit early. They will get a richer color orange and then soft ("like a water balloon") so that I can use them to make cookies and persimmon bread. I also have been slicing them while they are still hard and drying them in my dehydrator. They make wonderful dried fruit.

I wish I had planted a Fuyu because I like to use those persimmons in fresh salads (you can eat Fuyus while they are still hard but Hachiyas are far too stringent to eat when hard). But there is room in our yard for an additional fruit tree, isn't there?

Fall

2009-10-29T16:26:00.000-07:00

Insalata Caprese

2009-10-17T19:11:00.000-07:00

Heirloom tomatoes, mozzarella, and fresh basil from the garden. Salad in the style of Capri "Insalata Caprese." Yum.

Some of Our Harvest This Year

2009-10-17T17:10:00.000-07:00

My husband took a wonderful photo of some of this year's harvest. We had three Cinderella pumpkins (before the gophers got them). We covered the pumpkin stems with a bit of wax to keep them from rotting. Pictured above are some persimmons, calamondin, beans, tomatoes, honey, dried tomatoes, canned tomatoes, dried zucchini, and some preserved limes. We had much more than this from the summer garden, but this makes a great display. Some of our neighbors seem to really enjoy the honeycomb in the honey, and some wonder why we added it to the container.

Rose Hips

2009-10-16T11:37:00.000-07:00

We have one Rosa rugosa rose bush that produces some lovely rose hips each year. Last year I made a Rose Hip Syrup, for pancakes or ice cream, and it was delicate and quite nice. This year I decided to dry the rose hips in our dehydrator for tea. I could also remove all the seeds once the hips are dry and grind up the dried rose hip for use in smoothies or other sorts of concoctions. Rose hips are very high in Vitamin C.

I went out into the garden and picked a harvest basket full of rose hips. I rinsed them off, removed the bud or flower end, and placed them in my dehydrator at 115 degrees.

First Rain

2009-10-13T11:08:00.000-07:00

Our first heavy rain of the season started today in northern California. Everything is battened down outside, for the most part. We are trying out one of our new Smith and Hawken rain chains. Not sure if it will be something we keep on the front downspout, for that one gets lots of water and the pretty copper cups are busily overfilling and splashing onto the front porch. Our leak in the roof onto the porch seems worse this rain; we should have attended to that before now.

This is quite a heavy rain. Our street is quite covered with water. The winds have started to pick up a bit too. Hope we don't lose any of our trees, but I don't think it will be that damaging a storm. We shall see.

Last Look at the Summer Garden

2009-10-07T13:10:00.000-07:00

Here's a last look at the summer garden. This photo was taken at the end of August, but between then and now the only changes have been that the tomatoes kept on producing like crazy and the sunflowers grew quite tall and bloomed well.

They Just Keep Coming!

2009-10-06T13:55:00.001-07:00

This has been THE year for tomatoes. I didn't even have that many plants, but the plants I had were so productive. The deep watering from the new drip system is probably the reason. I've been drying, canning, and freezing the extras, as well as giving them away to those in need of some. They have been tasty. The plants are finally slowing down, but the weather here in northern California is still warm during the day (it has been in the 70s), and not too cold at night yet. I pulled out a few tomato plants this weekend so I could get more winter vegetable seeds planted ('tis a bit late for that).

Late Summer Harvest

2009-08-25T17:03:00.001-07:00

So many tomatoes this year! I have been giving them away to friends and freezing them, and now I have started dehydrating them. We have Early Girls, Carmellos, Black Prince, Thai Pink, Health Kick, Pruden's Purple, and Currant this year. We also are harvesting banana peppers, many zucchinis, cucumbers, and three kinds of pole beans. The new drip system seems to have helped quite a bit, as hand watering would get pretty tiring by this time of the year.

I am planning to start planting the fall/winter garden soon, and at least plant some lettuce, kale, more arugula, and perhaps broccoli.

Blogiversary

2009-08-09T10:46:00.000-07:00

Missed it! It was August 1st. Wow! Three years. Must post more...must post more.

The garden is very productive right now. The biggest problem is that gophers have been doing their best to destroy plants. Well, I guess really they are sitting under the plants in their tunnels munching away. One ate four swiss chard plants before we trapped the fat little gopher. Yesterday I discovered that another gopher had destroyed my Cinderella pumpkin plant. I'm trying to keep the plant alive by putting the chewed root ball into a planter and watering a lot, but it probably won't survive.

We have several kinds of tomatoes producing very well this year: Early Girl, Carmello, Stupice, Pruden's Purple, Health Kick, I think it is called, and Thai Pink. There is also a Currant tomato plant that has lots of tiny tomatoes. We have just one eggplant, but it has four fruits on it. It is a light lavender colored eggplant. We also have beans, zucchinis and cucumbers that are producing very well.

Today I froze some tomatoes to save for the winter. First I washed them, peeled them, and now they are sitting on a cookie sheet in the freezer. When they are frozen I will place them in a freezer bag and seal them.

California Concord Grapes

2009-06-18T07:42:00.001-07:00

We have planted 5 grape plants in front of the chicken coop. Four are California Concord grapes. (We planted 5 but one failed.) We planted a Concord-like grape to replace it. That fifth one is called Niabell.

Our Australorp

2009-05-06T11:57:00.000-07:00

Our black Australorp is a very friendly, easy-going hen. She has developed the habit of squatting down when I say "Hi!" At first, I thought this was just a fright response, but now we have a routine where she squats down, I pet her quite a bit, then she ruffles her feathers and struts off. It seems to be something she expects every day now. This photo is of her walking past some Mikado California poppies.

Garlic Plants

2009-05-05T19:44:00.000-07:00

Last year the gophers ate at least 5 whole heads of garlic, just before I was going to harvest them. To combat them, this year we planted several of our garlic plants into 5-gallon plastic pots. Here's a view of how they look right now:

Garlic is so easy to grow. Just plant bulbs around November about an inch below the surface of the ground. The winter rains take care of much of the watering until they stop, then just keep watering every several days. In early summer, knock down the plants, stop watering and then dig up the new heads. Several years ago we braided our garlic harvest and had 8 or 9 huge garlic braids...but that was before the gophers moved back in. Our cat, Lola, does hunt gophers, but there are a few that seem faster than she is.

Fava Beans!

2009-05-04T12:50:00.001-07:00

The Fava beans I planted last December are ready for harvest. We have been trying different recipes for our fava beans. Above is a photo of the plant in our garden. Next, here's a photo of a colander of picked beans, with five eggs that were laid on the same day.

California Concord Grapes

2009-04-21T11:11:00.001-07:00

We have planted some new grapevines right in front of the chicken coop. I think that they will provide some shade during hot summer days, but also they may prove rather tempting to the ladies. Here's a photo of some of the grape buds. Looks like we will be able to try out some of these grapes later this summer (if the hens don't get them first).

Another Peek

2009-04-21T11:08:00.001-07:00

Above is another peek at that same head of cauliflower. It is amazing that it grew so well. We had some for dinner and it was so very tender: I haven't had such fresh cauliflower before.

Cauliflower!

2009-04-12T10:00:00.000-07:00

Hidden inside these huge leaves is the first Cauliflower I've ever grown! I bought Snow Queen cauliflower seedlings, and as they grew and grew with such large leaves I started to think the young plants were mislabeled and that they were really cabbages. Then all of a sudden last Friday, cauliflower heads peeked out!

A Glimpse Inside A Beehive

2009-03-13T10:04:00.001-07:00

Above is a glimpse into one of our two beehives in November 2008. It is best not to open the hive except when the weather is warm.

Asilomar

2009-02-26T09:20:00.000-08:00

In January, we spent a few days at Asilomar--that "refuge by the sea" designed by Julia Morgan. We celebrated our wedding anniversary. Here are a few photos from the trip, first from the beach itself:

Some Winter Harvest

2009-01-17T10:07:00.000-08:00

Pictured above are some fruits and vegetables from a winter harvesting: "Moro" blood oranges, "Bacon" avocados, arugula, "Eureka" lemons, some baby bok choy, some red mustard, and a few eggs from our chickens.

Chicken Talk--Any additions?

2009-01-02T11:02:00.000-08:00

My husband has created a list of "Chicken Talk"--expressions that use the word chickens, or are related to chickens in some way. Here's his list:

Chicken talk

Here are some expressions involving chickens that we have gained new meaning since we have come to live in proximity with them.

It ain't chicken feed (meaning it is expensive)
Chicken feed ain't chicken feed these days. A 50 pound bag of laying feed is about $14 at our local store.
Bantam
Bantam weight
Broody (meaning withdrawn and preoccupied)
Our lace winged Wyandotte is prone to broodiness. Her maternal instincts kick in. She needs to hatch some eggs, to sit on some brood. It is her singular obsession. She finds no pleasure in her normal occupations: dirt baths, kicking back leaves, and pecking at dirt have no meaning for her. There is nothing to be done but wait it out.
Chick sexist name for a girl
Chicken (meaning afraid)
Of course, our birds are a bit skittish. They always have a wary eye to out and will run for cover if a hawk darkens the sky. But, they are also curious and enormously preoccupied with thoughts of food and will come investigate if we are working in the garden or compost pile.
To Cluck
Our chickens make many vocalizations. They will crow, coo, squawk, and whoop, but they will cluck when they are especially pleased with something. One of our arucanas will begin clucking with single minded satisfaction whenever she finds something good to eat. This will summon the others who will finish eating the treat while she is still busy clucking about it.
Cock sure, Cocky
We do not have roosters, but have been around them to recognize the preening self confidence of these expressions.
Cock-eyed
Both roosters and chickens have a way of turning one eye at you to get a better look. It is quite disconcerting at first because of the odd angle and the intensity of the unblinking single eye. This must have been the origin of the expression.
Cooped Up
Our chickens get visibly nervous and irritable with they are confined to quarters.
Henpecked
Mad as a wet hen
I am not sure we have seen this one. Our chickens don't seem to mind a light rain. We have had occasion to bathe them without inspiring especial ire.
Mother hen
Peckish
When our chickens are hungry they will wander around pecking at things, even if the things are clearly not food.
Ruffled feathers
Chickens, like most birds, are only comfortable when every feather is in place. Interestingly, the way they fix a messed up quaff is to ruffle up their entire back, then let the feathers settle back in place.
Your chickens will come home to roost
As the sun goes down chickens will return to the chicken house, but what's the problem with that?

Does anyone have any additions? Feel free to add your suggestions as comments below.

Welcome 2009!

2009-01-02T10:26:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year to all of my loyal blog readers, and for those of you who may have just happened onto this blog. Here is to a productive new year! This is a photo snapped about 15 minutes before the clock struck midnight. Best wishes to all!!

A Treegator

2008-12-12T08:49:00.000-08:00

The above is a photo of a Treegator that the Under Gardener is inspecting during a walk in Washington DC. While back in DC in October, we noticed these "Treegators" around young trees, designed to help with irrigation.

President-Elect Obama's New Home

2008-11-06T16:43:00.001-08:00

This photo was taken on 10/24/2008 during our trip to Washington DC.

Five Eggs!

2008-10-10T15:25:00.000-07:00

Hi there,

We have set up lights in the henhouse so that the hens get enough light to lay. The three new hens were just about to start laying when the seasons started changing, so now with the new lights they are all laying eggs. Yesterday we had five eggs, a record number for one day for us!

New Hens!

2008-08-14T09:08:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago we drove up to Sebastopol and brought back three young hens to augment our number of chickens. There are two White Orpingtons and one Australorp. The first week home we kept them in the coop to adjust. Now we let them out in the yard in the afternoons to search for insects and to snack on greens. They can fly and I've caught them in the plum trees eating ripe plums (they also love eating the plums that fall to the ground -- the ones we don't pick up in time before they are let out). The three new hens have formed a small flock and stick together pretty much. They are still adjusting to the three older hens, but the laying hen, Lacey, also hangs out with the new ones.

Blogiversary!

2008-08-01T14:23:00.000-07:00

Today marks the second year blogiversary of chickensinthegarden! It is great to review past posts to see how things have evolved since we started raising chickens. We should celebrate this two year anniversary!!

This summer the chickens have been hopping the small fence we constructed to protect the vegetable garden. Lacey ate the first two ripe tomatoes this year, and they were ripe before the fourth of July. The fence is too short to keep out the hens, but it deters them sometimes.

Lacey has started laying again. We are getting about one egg a day. Two weeks ago we drove up to Sebastopol and purchased three young hens, about 13 weeks old. They are two white orpingtons and one Australorp, a black hen with some green sheen on her wing feathers. Australorps hold the world record for number of eggs laid in a year, I believe it was 364. These young hens should start laying towards the end of August to mid-September. After about a week, we started letting the new hens out in the afternoon, as we do with the older hens. All six hens run to the fresh plums that have fallen underneath the French prune plum trees. I try to pick up the plums before the hens get there, but there are always some left for them. The plums are ripening quickly now; if one touches them on the tree, they fall off in your hand.

Off to the Peace Corps!

2008-07-10T21:03:00.000-07:00

Our 26 year old son is off to the Peace Corps. He landed in Niger, West Africa, today. He will be there for about 27 months, helping to increase opportunities for education for youth. You can read about it on his blog: http://timinniger.blogspot.com, although he won't be adding to posts soon as he is in a two month training session before his assignment.

Niger is one of the poorest countries, or least developed countries, in the world. Starvation and malnutrition are not uncommon and the lifespan is about 45 years, although many die in infancy.

This photo was taken at a rest stop off Interstate 5 in California during a recent trip north from Tim's sister's graduation in San Diego.

All Done

2008-06-26T05:51:00.000-07:00

This past week we attended our daughter's graduation from UCSD. She's been very active and busy for five years and graduated with a double major in Biology and Political Science. Emma received the Outstanding Senior award for both her college and for the university, given for her contributions to the life of the university.

Green Gulch Farm

2008-05-13T13:21:00.000-07:00

This Mother's Day we journeyed over to Marin County to visit with the number one son who is residing at Green Gulch Farm and Zen Center. He is a work apprentice, learning some kitchen skills as well as how to make those beds hotel-style.

The day was gorgeous and the people were friendly and interesting. But what I was most looking forward to, aside from seeing Tim, was seeing the gardens and farm. Green Gulch grows many of the vegetables served at Greens vegetarian restaurant in San Francisco. It turns out that they grow 14 different kinds of lettuces, and many other vegetables too. We wandered around the gardens and farm and walked to Muir Beach.

It was a wonderful day!

Libraries

2008-04-10T20:03:00.000-07:00

Because I am a library science student, the U.G. (under gardener) of this family insisted on taking photos of every library we encountered on our recent trip to Italy in January. This topic seems to have nothing to do with Chickens or Gardening, but I have decided to show you a few of these library photos. The first photo is of the library in Florence.

Those Pesky Gophers

2008-04-05T09:36:00.000-07:00

Hello again,

Those annoying gophers, it turns out, LOVE garlic. They have eaten 6 whole heads of our garlic this year. I applied a castor oil solution to their holes near the garlic. That seemed to keep them away for a day and a half, but then they returned. I loaded up our gopher/mole repeller with fresh "C" batteries and placed it right near the garlic. So far it is keeping them back a little bit, it seems.

The gophers also seem to have killed our Blackjack Fig Tree which was a great producer of black Mission-type figs. The gophers ate the roots of the tree last season, and the tree was quite wobbly, but we thought it would survive. The Under Gardener staked it up quite well, but I noticed a few days ago that the tree had not leafed out at all, while our other fig tree has both leaves and some small figs. I weeded around the dead stick of a tree and watered well, hoping to bring the thing back to life, but I think it is a goner. I'll keep an eye on it for a few more days, as there may be some roots left (and there was a bit of budding at the end of each branch), but it looks like it is headed for the wood pile.

Happy Spring!

2008-03-23T14:35:00.000-07:00

The vernal equinox was Thursday, and I have a new nephew born the same day! Today is Easter Sunday and it is in the 70's outside. The beans have sprouted, roses are starting to bloom, the crabapple tree is in full bloom, and it is just gorgeous outside.

Happy Day to All!

Spring is On Its Way!

2008-03-15T16:47:00.000-07:00

The asparagus are starting to come up and we'll be eating them soon. We've been enjoying beets and chard from the garden, and the garlic is growing very nicely. Last night, we tried some of the Romaine lettuce that we are growing, and it was quite good. I'll have to do something about the slugs, though, as they are starting to hang out inside the lettuce.

I jumped the gun and planted pole beans very early and they have started to germinate. We had a spate of very warm weather the week before last, before it turned cold again this week. Tomorrow is supposed to be a little warmer although things remained unsettled--it has rained on and off all week.

It is time to think about more serious spring planting though. When the weather is dry we have been weeding the beds to prepare them for more planting. I'm a little late at starting any seeds inside, such as tomatoes and peppers. Got to catch that spring fever and get busy!

Gardens are "Sleeping" in January

2008-03-01T11:49:00.000-08:00

As we were told on a garden tour years ago, the gardens are "sleeping" in January. This view of a formal garden maze was taken in January in a small town north of Rome.

Water features, garden mazes, fountains, columns, hedges, trees and shrubs were designed in the garden by a Cardinal Crayfish.

More from the Italy Trip

2008-03-01T11:44:00.001-08:00

There is so much beautiful art in Florence, Italy--everywhere! This wonderful statue was near the Santa Croce church. It was one of the last photos we snapped when in Italy in January. Seems to be bidding us arrividerci.

What is This?

2008-02-13T21:57:00.000-08:00

Doesn't look like a chicken in a garden, does it? No! It is a performer from Opera Extravaganza, during a performance in the restaurant at Palazzo Catalani in Soriano nel Cimino, Italy, in mid-January. This small opera troupe sang several famous arias. This one obviously had to do with a bird. I'll need to look it up and get back to you.

A Walking We Will Go

2008-02-12T08:20:00.002-08:00

This photo is from awhile ago, but with the beautiful weather right now--close to 70 degrees--days are wonderful for good walks. Annie, the dog, loves her walks, and she usually gets nice long walks on the weekends. The photo was taken in Newark, near the lake.

It's Cold Here...

2008-01-25T09:47:00.000-08:00

Hi,
Well, I know it is nothing like New England or the midwest, but it has been bitingly cold here in northern California. The chickens are chummier with each other, and our son thinks it is because they must snuggle at night to keep warm. It has been very rainy as well since our return from vacation.

In late December we took off for two weeks in Italy. What a fine time we had exploring Florence, Venice, Siena, and Soriano nel Cimino. When we took trains between the cities we first would spot the gardens in the countryside. Artichoke plants were easy to notice, especially in Tuscany. They appeared to be a bit more closely planted than our plants here. South of Tuscany we saw more cabbage and broccoli plants in the vegetable gardens.

I'm just about to give our artichoke plants some fertilizer. They should start producing some artichokes by February. A few of our plants are an Italian heirloom purple artichoke, a kind we also saw in a few of the vegetable markets on our trip.

Harley Farm Goats

2007-12-23T10:34:00.000-08:00

On Saturday we toured the Harley Goat Farm in Pescadero. They have about 270 goats right now. The farm specializes in making chevre, soft goat cheese. The two-hour tour introduced us to the goats. We had a chance to milk a goat and help make the cheese. The tour ended with a fine cheese tasting experience in the decorated barn.

Most of the goats are pregnant and will have their kids in late January or early February, but there were a few young kids scampering about. One chewed on my purse strap for a little while.

Big Connie in the Winter Garden

2007-12-19T11:52:00.001-08:00

Above is a photo of Big Connie, on a chilly but sunny December morning in the garden.

Asilomar

2007-11-21T14:43:00.000-08:00

As previously mentioned, we spent a couple of nights in Asilomar, the refuge by the sea. Here is a great photo taken by Jonathan:

and another at sunset:

Phil's Fish Market, Moss Landing

2007-11-20T08:56:00.001-08:00

On a recent two-night trip to Asilomar, we stopped at Moss Landing on the way home, and sampled the clam chowder at Phil's Fish Market. Wonderful place.

Beautiful Pathways

2007-10-17T17:05:00.000-07:00

We had a nice trip to the Filoli estate in Woodside. I forgot to take any photos of the beautiful house, but I found myself intrigued by the pathways and garden entrances. There are 16 acres at Filoli, an estate developed from 1912-1915. Today there are over 1500 fruit trees, and we saw many apple and pear trees laden with fruit. The day before we went it rained most of the day, but the day of the trip was sunny and dry.

Figs, figs, figs

2007-10-01T15:44:00.000-07:00

We are using figs over the past few weeks, as they are coming in thick and fast from our two fig trees. We have a Blackjack Fig (a Mission type) and a Brown Turkey Fig tree.

The other night we prepared salmon, grilled over a bed of potatoes and thyme. This was served with a fig salsa: chopped figs and onions. It was quite yummy and there were enough leftovers for a generous lunch the next day.

We are very busy inside the house with a remodeling project. We are finally remodeling our master bathroom. Previously the shower was an avocado green fiberglass insert and the room was quite dark. We are replacing the dated shower with a larger tiled shower and have added more light, painted the walls, and are adding a new tile floor. Soon we will pick out a granite top for the vanity and attach a large mirror to the wall.

Spinach, Red Onion, Fig, Apple, Pork, Heirloom Tomato, Cucumber, and Goat Cheese Salad

2007-08-29T12:00:00.001-07:00

Last night we enjoyed the above-pictured salad. The weather is getting hotter, so this cold salad was refreshing. We used some leftover pork loin and added a fig balsamic vinagrette dressing. Very yummy, but a little messy looking.

Here is another photo after adding the dressing:

Pole Beans

2007-08-07T10:37:00.000-07:00

We are growing some very nice pole beans on our makeshift teepee, formed from old birch tree branches and other assorted tree branches and poles. There are two kinds growing together here, a French filet type and a yellow pole bean.

French Prune Plums

2007-07-31T09:13:00.000-07:00

We have two French prune plum trees that are extremely productive. These prune plums are quite a delicacy in Europe, known as "sugarplums." We have been busy preparing the plums for drying in our dehydrators (halving them and removing the pits), and also making plum tarts, plum pie, plum jam, plum sorbet, and plum cake. We've also been giving away bags of these wonderful plums.

Above is an excellent photo (by plum-pitter extraordinaire, Jonathan) that depicts the stages of the plum-pitting process. We will certainly have enough dried plums for the winter!

Sunflower Watching Sunflower Motif

2007-07-22T11:01:00.000-07:00

I woke up this morning and saw a new sunflower bloom in our vegetable garden. Above is a photo of what I saw: a sunflower seemed to be watching a terra cotta sunflower.

Below is a closer image of the two interacting:

Thistle bloom

2007-07-07T15:30:00.000-07:00

A beautiful artichoke blossom!

Sunflowers

2007-07-05T22:01:00.000-07:00

This summer the sunflowers are blooming awfully early! They are so cheery out in the vegetable garden. Today I planted some pole beans around some younger sunflowers.

Those chicks have grown...

2007-07-05T21:56:00.000-07:00

Above is a photo of Lacey and her three chicks. You recall that they were hatched 5/10th, 11th and 12th. Lacey, the mom, is a lace-winged Wyandotte. The three fertile eggs were not hers but are bantam cochins. Here are the chicks with their "mom" around the asparagus bed.

A beautiful cheese

2007-06-18T08:18:00.000-07:00

Here's a photo of some beautiful Irish Cheddar Cheese with Porter. Cheese and crackers on our deck with wine.

New chicks!

2007-06-02T18:25:00.000-07:00

We met a new friend who has roosters. We were given a few eggs that were fertile and stuck them under our broody hen, a Lace-winged Wyandotte. Because we stuck the eggs under on different days, the three that hatched emerged on 5/10, 5/11, and 5/12. They are bantams--cochins--and here they are with their substitute mom.

Here is a photo:

April Blooms

2007-04-20T16:36:00.000-07:00

Some Columbine in the front garden.

A purple iris, above.

And here is a view of some Spanish Lavender:

The New Asparagus Bed

2007-03-31T16:28:00.000-07:00

This is a photo of our new asparagus bed with "Big Connie" looking for worms. We harvested asparagus for about two weeks this first year and now we will let the asparagus grow to be ferns so the roots can develop more fully. Next year we will be able to harvest for six weeks.

Rhubarb

2007-02-13T15:32:00.000-08:00

Our rhubarb is growing nicely and just yesterday I noticed it was flowering. This variety of rhubarb is Victoria. The flower stalks look very interesting. For harvesting more rhubarb, it would be best to cut off any flower stalks. But since this is my first experience growing rhubarb that has flowered, I'm going to let it flower for awhile so I can see how it looks!

Twelfth Night

2007-01-05T16:05:00.000-08:00

Tonight is Twelfth Night, tomorrow is Epiphany....the Christmas season is coming to a close.
This is the best photo I have of the gingerbread house we made. Yummy!

Buche de Noel

2006-12-28T05:59:00.000-08:00

We prepared the traditional French Christmas dessert this year. Tasty!

The Last of the Persimmons...

2006-12-24T11:18:00.000-08:00

The last of the Hachiya persimmons on the persimmon tree. The birds are enjoying some of these and we are still drying persimmons and making persimmon cookies and bread.

A Dwarf Pomegranate Tree

2006-11-11T09:21:00.000-08:00

In our front yard we have a dwarf pomegranate tree that is loaded with pomegranates right now. The pomegranates are very small, about 1-1/2 inches in diameter. The tree itself is just about three feet tall.

A Rose

2006-11-11T09:17:00.000-08:00

A beautiful rose just after a light rain.

Persimmons!

2006-11-06T20:28:00.000-08:00

Lots of Hachiya Persimmons from our tree!

Beautiful Day

2006-10-19T16:18:00.000-07:00

Today is a beautiful, sunny October day in Northern California. I just watered my chard and lettuce seedlings and my newly planted beet bed. I gave the chickens some leftovers from the refrigerator, and they were quite happy about that! We are watching the neighbor's dog Sammy for a few days. I am not sure how he will get along with the chickens, but we shall see later this evening when we let the chickens out. They probably will be able to hold their own.

I haven't posted for awhile. A lot going on in the family the last several weeks.

My grad school classes are going fairly well. I have a lot of reports to get to over the next few weeks, though. I sure am learning a lot about libraries and issues surrounding them.

The peppers are still producing well in the garden but the tomaotes are slowing down. I have one eggplant ready to harvest and the new young chard plants look very happy. The persimmons are starting to ripen on the tree. The asian pears and figs are finishing up. I better get some citrus fertilizer, the leaves are yellowing on several of the citrus trees.