After days of trials and frustrations, mainly with Honey pictured, including the eating of Swiss chard, roses, plastic bags, coffee filters, standing on chicken coops including the one that is 12 feet high, chasing chickens out of the coop, following me into the coop and standing on the lower set of nests to try and help me collect eggs by standing on the roosts and breaking them, sniffing my ears as I collect eggs causing me to almost drop them, scaring the chickens once again to leave me in a cloud of chicken dust I have finally made peace with her after inspecting a lot of plantings and doing more plantings and using the goat manure/alfalfa/straw for the mulch. The goat mulch is the best. It has retained the most moisture, does not blow away and piles up beautifully around leeks hopefully for nice long white stems. The soil under the goat mulch is not only beautifully moist and dark, but as the mulch breaks down it is nourishing it. Okay, maybe she can stay :)

Radishes

It took me a while but a few weeks ago I finally took the time to tuck in some radishes. The French radishes as you see here are my favorite; nice mild flavor, but I hear that some like the Daikon so they are in the carrot field. Why the carrot field? I know you are dying to know :) Daikon radishes are considered a cover crop not to mention edible and they do an incredible job of breaking up the soil in record time and with the temps going up I am sure they will be ready to eat and have the soil ready for some more carrot seed in no time (some carrots are overwintering). See everybody tomorrow who ordered!!

Basil

Well due to technical problems

this photo is from online, but I do have 72 Genovese basil that were the inspiration for this blog entry. They smell so good in my living room!! I am waiting for this storm to pass, though I did place two out in the greenhouse for a test "pattern". I smell them and all I can think of is farm fresh tomatoes, there is nothing like it in the world! A little basil, tomato slices and balsamic vinegar and salt and pepper; the simplest of foods, yet amazing powers of nutrition!!

Chicken/Sustainable agriculture

This is the Pirociciabo Broccoli that was in an earlier blog. It was mulched with the last of my chicken manure compost and it went crazy!! This is why I do what I do. Nothing like seeing the "Circle of Life"; yes I stole that from Lion King. Whether I am cleaning out a chicken coop like I was yesterday and filling up my composter or processing chickens at the Bashaws it represents the circle of life and sustainable agriculture. There is no waste. At delivery today Phil was teasing me calling me "sadist" because I love being involved in the processing of the chicken, but for me it just completes the process and I get so jazzed to be living what I have always dreamed of. When I am involved in the entire process and I see no waste I feel that I am respecting what the Lord has provided to us. He has provided everything we need whether it be the vitamins and beta carotenes in the vegetables to the protein and vitamins in the chicken. Thank you for supporting me and allowing me to be part of your lives in providing these gifts to you.

My girlfriend, Carrie, asked where I get my motivation. My motivation is in the wind blowing in my hair and seeing a plant alive and well after a snow storm, knowing that I am as close to God as I am going to get for now. It all makes me feel so alive. Feeling my heart pump and blood run through my vessels as I unload a truck load of manure believe it or not feels good. On a lot of days my head hits the pillow and I am out in a second, but it is due to a day of "good work". Of course Harvest Day is always a thrill to see what I have managed to accomplish in my haphazard course. I hope that I bring you all just a little closer to nature on my path.

Peaches are in full bloom, but temperatures are supposed to drop to 34?? Will we skim by without a true freeze? The greenhouse is to the side of these trees and does provide a degree of warmth each year, hopefully it will be enough. I am hoping also that the Yukon Gold Potatoes do not have to start over with a freeze. The leaves will die with a freeze, but the potato will continue to grow, just a bit slower than I would like; I was hoping for May potatoes. On the other hand the rain and/or snow is welcome and so is a day of rest.

Future Herb Garden

Here is the future herb bed, and hopefully the rabbits agree with us that it can stay. It will be unprotected, but I am hoping that between the "not so desirable" nature of herbs and the fact that they are eating well out of the compost pile that the rabbits will choose to let me keep this as is. Here goes . . . This bed will allow me to increase herb production by 10 fold!!