Thursday, November 18, 2010

Fall colors and bald hens






A couple of photos to help you visualize how the ladies' coop looks during a molt: sort of like someone plucked a hen! Note how Lena's (far left) head and parts of her wings have only new pin feathers where the old feathers fell out. Each hen molts yearly, replacing the old with bright, new, healthy feathers. Hard work for the hen's system, so she stops laying for a bit during the molt.

Here too are some of the beautiful fall colors from the yard: The orange red of my red maple (chosen for its fall color and because maple provides one of the earliest spring food sources for the bees), and similar colors from my Muskogee crape myrtle, chosen for it's disease resistance, size at maturity (medium large tree), lavender blossoms, and fall leaf color. Last, even the young blueberry bushes have great fall color. Here you see the blueberry bed, with an understory of collards and flat leaf parsley.

Monday, November 8, 2010

Just another armload


I hate to just keep posting photos of armloads of amazing fresh greens, but that is what the garden is all about right now! Here is a basket full of broccollini (greens and small flower buds that look like broccoli), plus the last of 3 kinds of lettuce. I am so sorry the lettuce did not make it to Thanksgiving, but it all was bolting (going to seed), so had to be harvested. Way more than we could eat right away, so it has been rinsed and dried and wrapped in a damp paper towel and put in the fridge for salads all week long.

Monday, November 1, 2010

Even more abundance




Wow, the garden is exploding. Yesterday I cooked a 2 pound bok choy and we had half with lunch, and then an armload of arugula for dinner, cooked with garlic and shitake mushrooms, with half going into the freezer. Then I noticed that two of my broccoli heads are full size and need to be picked right away! Broccoli for dinner tonight. Finally, look into this beautiful radicchio plant. I know that nestled inside those leaves soon will be the beautiful radicchio for me to grill for a salad!