Best cocoon picture ever!

Culain enjoying a beautiful Sunday afternoon!

Walnut Harvest: September 9th, 2012

Daddy with his baby girl Vivian

Today Chris wanted to try his hand at black walnut harvesting.  It's a messy job and I am glad he wanted to do it this year!  He walked around and collected the freshest walnuts that recently dropped from the trees.  He also harvested the spent ones in the hopes of discarding them to a different location to help minimize the black walnut toxicity. We definitely see a difference in the garden with the plants that are located closest to the walnut trees.  We had tomato plants growing one year that looked like it could be in that Verizon commercial showing the bars.  They were in a line with one end near the tree where the growth was very small and unproductive - leading further away to large, more productive plants.  

Here is how we harvest walnuts at the Blue House...

Taking the husk off the walnut

Step 1:  Only harvest fresh walnuts on the ground.  Completely green in color.
Step 2:  Use some sort of mallet/hammer (Chris used a brick hammer and I used a maul in past years) to break through the husk/hull and remove nut
Step 3:  Remove as much of the yellow fibrous material as possible (WEAR GLOVES and old clothes unless you like permanent stains on everything)
Step 4:  Lay walnuts out to dry in the sun for a few days.  Make sure they are completely dry before you put them up for long-term storage.
Step 5:  Let them cure for about a month before eating them.

Sunflower Harvest - September 8, 2012

Sunflowers were planted behind a row of corn that has already been harvested.

Sunflower harvest time!  I read that when the yellow petals drop, and the back of the sunflower turns pale yellow, and you can see the seed heads pretty good, then it's time to harvest for drying.  I think we are a little late (what's new?!!!) but it should be a nice start in getting some sunflower seeds for us and the birds.  This is definitely something I hope gets expanded at the blue house in the future.  Sunflowers everywhere!  We planted a lot more than actually came up but the birds kept taking them out before they got big.  But the row planted in with the corn actually made it through the scratch fest.

Drying upside down in the bunkhouse

It's difficult to keep this caption PG rated!

So today was harvest day.  Chris cut them with two feet of stem remaining and I hung them up in the bunkhouse to dry.  I'm not sure what will happen from there...seed-wise I mean.  I keep thinking I am going to walk into the bunkhouse and seeds are going to be all over the floor.  I figure I can just sweep them up.  The magic of having chickens.  They don't care where the seeds have been!

Moving the crew, a chicken update - September 8, 2012

Australorp "Jackie"

Black Copper Maran "CC"

 Today was chicken moving day.  They have been hanging out in the side yard in the perennial garden for a few weeks.  We finally doubled the electric fence so they can stay in a spot for a longer period of time.  This area was thick with bindweed and morning glories and I thought they would have a hard time getting around in the area.  They did just fine and to my great happiness have cleaned up under a lot of the plants.  The blackberry bushes are opened up as that was their favorite hang out space during the day and I don't blame them.  Perfect cover and fun sandy soil to toss up on themselves.  The bindweed was definitely trimmed away from the plum trees and sunflower/rosemary/asparagus area was cleaned up as well.  A definite win. 

Front yard garden

So where to next?  The winner is the front garden area with the hazelnut trees (actually I should say hazelnut sticks because they are so small and young), herbs like lemongrass and basil, serviceberry bushes (they don't look very good right now at all) and lots of amaranth, lambs quarters and bindweed.  I can't wait for them to work their magic in that garden!  Go chickens go!

When we moved the fence and coop I noticed that I couldn't find the old buff orpington named Honker.  So I started looking in the perennial garden for her and look what I found buried in the rosemary...

Clutch of eggs in the rosemary bushes in the side perennial garden

Those little boogers have been holding out on me!  I've been waiting and waiting for the eggs from the paddock crew.  I've been getting one or two here and there.  I kept saying...just be patient.  All along they were secretly laying in a cozy spot in the rosemary bushes.  I don't blame them.  I would like that MUCH better than the coop myself if I were a chicken.  Oh well, gotta rethink the nesting arrangement.  That is the thing I love about this whole permaculture thing...you just wing it and whatever isn't working you just tweek it until it does.  Chris and I have talked about having portable nests that we can place in strategic locations.  Might be a good idea.  For now I think I would like to focus on making the nesting boxes in the coop better.  

Shitake! September 8, 2012

Back in October we cut down a small oak tree in the back woods and dragged it down to the creek with the idea that it would be perfect mushroom territory.  We busted our humps and managed to innoculate 4 logs (don't laugh til you try it...that took a long time).  We drilled 1 inch holes in the logs and hammered in sawdust that was innoculated with shitake mushrooms.  Then we sealed them with beeswax and arranged them in a square elevated off the ground.

 Since Chris and I take the "natural/lazy" approach we let good ole mother nature do her thing.  We didn't dunk them in water or hit them on the ends with a hammer.  We didn't even visit them very much.  Funny thing about the natural way...definitely way less productive and other mushrooms joined in on the fun which I find a little scary.  But low and behold...almost a year later...we got one!  Ha ha ha ha! 

The shitake is on the right side top log, closest to the camera

Yes, a lone shitake finally reared it's head out of one the holes in the log.  Of course there are mushrooms popping up all over the place right now and the only way I even trust it is the fact it was coming directly out of one of our drilled holes.  So in one week we got an oyster mushroom at the house and a shitake from the woods.  Funny thing is that I think these very items are growing wild in our woods but I am way too chicken to go there. 

Tonight, we have to feed 9 people and that little mushroom will be placed lovingly on top of one of the homemade pizzas. 

May Pop! August 2012

Pole Green Park offers a lot of diversity in "wild edibles".  On one of our outings with the dogs, Chris and I noticed a strange vine growing only the edge of one of the fields.  Later we identified it as May Pop, otherwise known as the passion flower.  Of course we decided to keep watching, anxiously awaiting the fruit that comes with this vine, and on one of walks in mid August we actually saw blooms.  What an awesome flower!  The bees were loving on these UFO inspired blooms!  I will let you know if any changes...

September 10, 2012 - FRUIT!!!

Corn Smut - August 2012

So it appears we were able to grow a true delicacy - corn smut!  This little fungus supposedly is worth a lot more money than corn.  I'm a little afraid of cooking with it for now though.  Maybe one day.  It is just interesting to see it and know what it is.