Keep an eye on your girls!

 One of the best things about having animals, is the time that you take to sit back and enjoy them having fun.  It brings a smile to your face, lowers your blood pressure, and calms you right down.  You also learn about their personalities.  Each chicken I have is completely different from each other in personality, and yet they all get along.  Birds of a feather, right?!?

I have six girls right now, all egg layers.  Moth is appropriately named, because she is drawn to trouble like a moth to a flame.  Penny is my little sweetheart.  She is named after the copper coin because of the color of her feather.  She loves to be held and will trip you up if you try to walk past her without giving her a hug or a pet on the back.  Fig is similar in colors, although a bit more independent.  The hugs, she can take it or leave it.  Shadow is the leader of the pack and usually the first to lay an egg. My chubbiest girl is Thistle and her buddy is Moth. Moth hates to be touched.  She looks at me like I'm a complete stranger.  Fern is another sweetheart.  She used to lay brown eggs until this past winter.  Then it appeared that she was molting, but she wasn't recovering very well.  She grew very thin and would sway when she walk, which gave the appearance of being drunk.  I tried everything for her.  Nothing seemed to work, until I tried Gatoraide.  I would give her a cup of it everyday.  Until this point she wasn't eating or drinking, but the Gatoraide she would drink.  Then I started giving her freeze dried grubs.  She loved it!  She never gained her full weight back, but she is the most regular in laying eggs.  The funny thing is...her eggs are now white.

That's the thing.  If I hadn't learned their personalities and had some time to watch them, I might have lost Fern.  I saw there was a problem, tried a few things, and finally it worked.  So, I guess the moral to the story is by watching your chickens, you give to them and in return, they give so much more to you.

If you would like to watch more of my videos, please subscribe to my YouTube Channel.

A grocery store purchase that you can keep growing.

 Did you know there are many vegetables you can buy from your grocery store, that you can keep growing for renewable sources of food? Scallions are one of them. If they have even the tiniest of roots, you can plant them, and they will continue to grow. I purchased this bunch, planted them before the start of the pandemic, and have been able to harvest them over and over.

Knitting and Stories

Episode 70 is now up on YouTube.

Shownotes:

Finished Projects: Hermione socks by Tracy Hollis Cuffed Slippers y Barbara Breiter Mercury Socks by Kim Drotar Cushy Fitted Slippers by Heidi Butterfield Hermione Toads Everyday Hat by Chit Chat Knits WIPS: Leafy Baby Blanket by Leila Alieva Green Tea Socks by Louise Crowther Year long Sock-a-long ...PackyknitsDesign Group in Ravelry Year long Amigurumi along...PackyknitsDesign Group in Ravelry Charms by Charmed and dangerous on Etsy Song: On' mappelle Heidi by Barbara Pravi
 

What to plant when your thirsty

We work hard on our gardens.  We plan out what vegetables and fruits we want to grow.  Then we buy the seeds, prepare the soil, and plot out what is going where. There's a lot of preparation, but after all of this work, we reap the benefits of delicious food to eat.  smacks lips.

All those delicious meals...but what's to drink?  Did you plant it?

This is not a crazy idea.  And why shouldn't we do it?!?  If we grow it, we can have a variety of slurpy goodness just sitting in our cupboards.

You might be thinking about the obvious.  Fruit trees.  While this is a good choice, it's not convenient for everyone.  Many fruit trees need several years before they start to yield, and most of them thrive planted in the ground instead of pots.  If you do have the space in your lawn and the willingness to wait a couple of years, then this might be an excellent idea for you.

For those who want more immediate results, there are so many options.  Mint is a wonderful choice.  Not only is it great in so many dishes, it makes a year round drink.  You can use the leaves freshly cut from the plant, or dried out.  It makes a refreshing drink over ice, or even a hot tea. My only suggestion with mint, is to grow it in a pot.  Mint can be an invasive, so having it in a pot will control the spread.

Think about what you like to drink.  Is it lemon?  You can grow lemon balm, or lemon grass.  Do you like something a little spicy?  Try growing ginger.  There are several varieties that are edible.  Ginger root is very easy to grow.  I grow a variety called shell ginger.  The leaves of the shell ginger makes a light ginger flavored tea.

Would you like something to drink before bed?  Turmeric is easy to grow.  You can make a tea preparation with turmeric root, honey and warm milk.  Then you will sleep like a baby. For something a little lighter, grow some chamomile. The bees will also thank you for having those sweet little flowers to pollinate.

Do you like a freshly brewed cup of coffee in the morning?  Chicory can be grown, harvested and then roasted in your oven.  Then grind it up and treat it like ground coffee.

Before your finished, don't forget your sweetener.  Stevia can be started from seed and planted in your garden.  It is a no-sugar substitute for your drinks.  Each leaf tastes like pure sugar. 

So many ideas to plant, and so many cups to drink!

Save those eggshells

Most of us have eggs in the fridge, but have you ever wondered if the shells have a usefulness beyond holding your breakfast?

Eggshells are full of calcium and they can be used in a number of ways.  But first you need to prepare them.  I keep a little bowl that I throw my eggshells in every time I crack one open.  When I get a couple (or more), I just pop them in the microwave for 1 minute.  You can also bake them in the oven if you prefer.  The idea is to dry them out without browning them.  Once cooked, I crush them up as fine as I can get them.  There are so many ways you can do this.  Depending on what I'm using them for, I just crush them in my hand.  They can easily be smashed between 2 plates, or if you have a mortar and pestle, this would work as well.  

Now you have your crushed eggshells ready.  If you already have chickens, you can add a handful of crushed shells to their feed.  Don't worry about the amount since they will just eat what they need.  Chickens need the calcium in order to make a hard shell.  You can tell that they are in need of calcium if the shells crack or crush way too easily.  

Shells are also great in your garden.  You can sprinkle them around your plants to deter any slugs or cutworms from killing your plants.  Tomato and pepper plants will especially benefit from the calcium in the shells.  Just add a small amount to the hole when you plant your tomatoes.  You can also use the shells for plant starters.  Prop the shells up in an egg carton.  Fill them with dirt and a seed or two.  When the plants are big enough to be transplanted, you can put the whole thing in the ground. 

Free ranging your chickens

 So many people this year have decided to start raising chickens.  They give you a bounty of eggs, which of course taste a million times better than store bought.  Plus you have the added benefit of one less thing to leave the house for.  

You bring the chickens home from the store, but what should you do with them?  Where do you put them once they are old enough to be out in the yard?

Of course they are going to need a little home to come to for safety and warmth at night.  They need a place to lay their eggs.  They also need a run so they can come out in the day.  Putting a fence around a small area next to their home is a great solution.  You can keep an eye on them.  Your assured that they will lay their eggs in a spot where you can find them, and for the most part, they are safe.  But after a while, and it will happen fast, the grass will all disappear.  They eat everything. Now, it's not as fun for them.  If it rains, it starts to become miserable.  Who wants to spend their day walking around in the mud?

Let them out!  During the day, they can get the sun that they desperately need.  Running through the yard and spreading their wings gives them a wonderful chance for exercise.  And when this happens, your chickens will be happy.  Don't worry.  Your chickens will come back to lay their eggs in the nesting boxes, and they will come home to sleep in the house you built.  Just make sure there is plenty of food and water near their house, so they always associate this area with home.  

When the chickens have a chance to run around, they can scratch around for delicious bugs to eat as well as the grass.  This will cut down on food costs.  They will also have a chance to take dirt naps.  They make a hole, climb in and shake that dirt right into their feathers.  This isn't just for fun, although I do think it's the best part of their day.  The dirt helps to control any lice or mites that they might get, as well as minimize the oils in their feathers.  

You see, their are so many benefits to letting the girls out, but here's another one:  it's so much fun to sit and watch them play.  It's better than television.  

Did you plant an autumn garden?

 If you planted a garden this year, by now your thinking what a relief to have it finished.  You've battled all the pests, stink bugs, caterpillars, squash bugs.  You've dwelt with drought, intense sun, even flooding.  There have been back breaking fights with the weeds, the indecision of what to plant, and regrets over what didn't grow.  Just as you find a solution to one problem, another one pops up its ugly head.  And you kept going. But after all of it, didn't you eat better and sleep like a baby after a day in the garden?

So you think its over until next year?  Have you thought of starting a fall garden? No, don't thing back to this summer.  A fall garden is so much easier!  Why?

Less bugs for one!  A lot of the caterpillars have turned into butterflies and have moved on.  Plus a lot of what you grow in the fall do not have the yellow flowers that attract so many pests. The stink bugs love the yellow flowers. Greedy little monsters. Plus, its starting to get a little cooler.

See?  The thought of it is getting better already, isn't it?!?

So how do you start? Look for your earliest frost date.  You can even Google it.  Just ask for the first frost date for your area.  Once you have this information, you can count back to find out how many days you have to start your garden and then double check on your seed packets as to how many days to harvest.  Of course if you purchased the plants or started them indoors, you would have a better chance at getting your plants to maturity before the frost.

What to plant? Brassicas such as broccoli, cauliflower, cabbages are perfect for this time of year.  Not to mention kale, and lettuce. There are a lot of options to consider a fall garden in most areas.  You still have TIME!!!

Papaya

 I live in planting zone 9A and even though it's hot and tropical at least 9 months out of the year, it's not always easy to garden.  I've tried all the basics that we planted up north.  Tomatoes, peppers, corn, potatoes, rhubarb.  And while some plants do thrive, others can be a bit challenging.  I've looked around and experimented with growing outside my comfort box in order to fill in the gaps of what I can and cannot grow.  One thing that I have tried growing numerous times is the papaya.  

The seeds are easy to come by.  Just grab a papaya at the local grocery store and save the seeds from it.  I've tried planting them in all kinds of soil, from the richly composted to sandy soil.  But it wasn't the soil, so much as how I planted them.  This was the first year I realized the seeds are light activated.  Don't bury them down in the dirt, but instead, sprinkle them on top of the soil.  Give them a watering each day, and if you plant all the seeds, you will have dozens of little trees growing. 

The trees grow incredible fast and love water.  Mind you they don't want to sit in water, but they love being watered.  Look for an area with good drainage, to plant your little trees.  Since it's so hot where I live, I water in the evenings.  This gives the water a chance to soak in, instead of evaporate. 

Papayas are also prone to die if they get hit by a frost.  But it doesn't matter, because if you start them early enough, the tree can grow from seed to fruiting in one year.  The ones I started last year, made it through the winter which is why they are doing so well this summer.  I now have enormous fruit that are just smiling in the sun and I can't wait to add them to my fruit salad.

Every year I learn something new about the fruits and vegetables that I grow.  And every year something changes.  But once I have the basics figured out, that is where the magic happens.  And now I can say that I will be growing papaya for years to come.

It's Cross Stitch Day!

 I had so many plans today.  Weed the garden.  Do some cleaning.  Work on two of my knitting projects and possibly one amigurumi.  Then finish my watercolor painting.  But first I checked what day it is.  It's Cross Stitch Day!  Well that changes everything!  

Having a special day has me pulling out my cross stitch projects.  I currently have seven that I work on from time to time.  There are many more in the balance just waiting their turn to be started, but with my hand held up, I only promise their turn on the dance floor once a current project is finished.  After all, there are only seven days in the week, so I keep just as many projects open. Sadly, I don't abide by these rules for knitting and crochet.  It's an open forum for them!

Okay, here is the project I've picked, "A Peacock's Garden".  It's the 2019 mystery SAL by Linens and Threads.  I'll be happily working on this pattern for Cross Stitch Day just as soon as i grab a cup of rosehip tea.  Would you like to join me?

Okra

 Here is an easy plant to grow in the summer.  Okra.  They need barely any help in their growth.  I've saved a couple of okra pods each year.  Dried them out.  Then replanted the next year.  It's the crop that keeps on giving.  

They don't need any staking like you would do for tomato plants. Recently a tropical storm blew threw here and I came out the next morning to find them standing tall and proud.  

Once the okra plant has matured, it grows a beautiful yellow flower. Capture it's picture as fast as you see it, because tomorrow it won't be here.  It lasts for a day.  The okra grows right behind the flower.  You can eat the flowers in salads, or stuff and fry them like you would with zucchini flowers.  But if you leave them alone, a little okra will soon be on your dinner plate.  Even the leaves are edible. They are perfect to throw in soup or stew and will help to thicken up it up.

If you decide to let the okra grow instead of eating the flowers, cut them when they are small.  2-3 inches is the best size for eating since that is when they are so tender.  I like to snack on them raw when they are this size.  You can cut them up for soup or frying or even freeze them for later.  Or if you want to try something different, dry the sliced okra and save it for tea.  The seeds if dried by themselves can be pulverized in a coffee grinder and used to make a "coffee".  It's decaffeinated of course, but great for an evening drink.

Whatever you do with your okra, remember to save a couple of mature pods.  Dry them out and save them for next year's crop.

How do you eat okra?  I'd love to hear your recipe's.  Leave me a message below!!!