Urban Farming: Keeping Backyard Chickens

It's funny how things happen - I've been "thinking" of getting a backyard chicken for it's eggs - But I haven't gotten much past the "thinking" part. My reality is, today when my mom and I took a goat cheese making class, we saw the cutest little balls of fluff - Less than week old baby chicks! So as any GOOD Nana would do, my mom purchased 4 of the little buggers (hopefully they end up being hens otherwise back to the farm they go!) as "Easter gifts" for my kids.

My township has an ordinance where a family CAN keep backyard hens for their eggs, so it should be all fine and dandy - My husband was not amused and I received the "I-can't-believe-you-did-that" or "What-did-you-just-get-us-into" stare. But we're now the proud owners of the lil' peepers! (Note: while I got the stare, when the light we had wouldn't work, HE ran right out and got a new light to keep our little ones warm!)

I should mention that giving pets as gifts is never a good idea, however it WAS already something I was considering, and IF for some reason we can not keep them - allergies, illness, etc. They can go back to the person who sold them to us or possibly elsewhere. There are plenty of people looking for "free" chickens on Craigslist in this area...

So now I'll research what type they are (I know two of them lay the blue colored eggs) and specifics on raising chickens in small places, while we enjoy the gentle peeping noises coming from them. The kids will really get a kick out of watching them grow and change too...

Finally!!!

The tapping is closed off, the cooking is now complete...

Yesterday I finally pulled the plug on all remaining Maple tree's at my friend's property. I had only gotten a few gallons in the past 4 days and trees were starting to bud, so I simply ended things - To keep getting a trickle, then wait to have enough to boil was absurd!

I pulled all of 1 1/2 gallons yesterday and as you can imagine I used a much smaller pot today to boil it down. It took no time at all, and in fact I got distracted long enough that the temperature in the pot actually zoomed right past the point of making Maple Syrup and now I have Maple Candy! I could have reincorporated some water into the mixture and re-boiled it, but thought what the heck.

What REALLY amazes me is that the settlers to our country used Maple Syrup, Maple Candy and Maple Sugar to sweeten almost everything as sugar was hard to come by (I remember much of that from The Little House stories Mom read me as a kid!) - I CAN NOT imagine making THAT MUCH! Even the 5 quarts/9+ pints I processed - Plus the handful of Maple Candy - amounts to nearly nothing. I can't imagine getting through an entire year on that if I used it to the extent the settlers did...

If you care to learn more about the history behind making Maple Syrup in the US, there are many REALLY good websites out there - Check them out, or better yet, next year try making Maple Syrup on your own... The process is rewarding, fun and pretty easy!

History of Making Maple Syrup in Michigan
Michigan Maple Syrup Association
Maple Syrup Story

Gardening Products I LOVE!

My husband says I'm a gadget-guru. OK I admit it, I LOVE to have the latest and greatest, especially when it comes to my hobbies!!! So as I begin to think about my garden and planting it this year, I began thinking about some of the products I have that I LOVE. So I thought to take a moment to talk about two products from the Gardener's Supply Company that I have used for the past two summers...

Most people do not think about planting potatoes when they think of planting their garden. I however think otherwise... When I was a kid we planted potatoes for several years and enjoyed pulling the plants at the end of the summer to see "our huge harvest". So it came as no surprise to my mom that I mentioned planting them two years ago for my kids!

I talked to several people about the best methods for planting potatoes - in a mound or in the ground I plant them all around... Sorry I began channeling Dr. Suess here... But I ran across the Potato Bin and thought that it might be a GREAT alternative to planting in our our clay-laden soil. I have raised beds but didn't feel like sacrificing space, so plating in the Potato Bin worked well. Both summers I planted 4 seed potatoes and ended up with a substantial harvest - I even shared some of my seed potatoes with two friends and neither of them had as good of a result from their planting! So check it out - it's a space saving method to a kid-friendly, easy-to-grow crop!

The second product I love is the Multi-Purpose Garden Knife. It's a trowel, a knife, a slicer, a dicer, and a small shovel all in one and MAN is it SHARP - Gotta watch the kids around this one! I use it all the time for breaking into our rather tough soil and even cutting plants, plant ties and slim plant stakes if I need to. This is a nifty tool that REALLY gets the work done and I love the "built in ruler" and especially LOVE the weed notch. We try to go green as much as possible and find ourselves digging up weeds throughout much of the summer months. This little tool though really gets the job done!

I'm sure I would find alternatives for any of my projects, I am a resourceful gal, however I really can not imagine my garden without these two items!

Compostable Grass Clippings

I spent some time in the yard today ~ clipping old plants back, pulling dead weeds and pulling grass from my raised garden beds. In pulling out the grass from my raised beds, I began to think about grass in general, and how it makes an excellent compost material (if applied properly).

It's best to leave the grass clippings right on the lawn after cutting - When the grass breaks down it becomes a nitrogen rich fertilizer. If you do not want to use it on the lawn however, say if you waited too long between cuttings, the grass clippings become an excellent mulch or soil additive - So long as you do not add weed killers to your lawn! My husband and I add our grass clippings, about an inch thick, throughout my raised beds. The clippings add nutrients, help seal in moisture and help to prevent weeds.

While pulling the grass from my beds though, I was reminded - Add these grass clippings to your garden beds before your grass has gone to seed...

I need to get back to pulling grass clumps... *sigh*

Happy Spring!!!

It's been really easy this week to believe spring has arrived. For Michigan, 50-60 degree days in March is a HUGE bonus. This week I have begun seeing buds in our trees, Robins on lawns and most important I have heard the chorus of frogs singing each night. So listen closely to what Mother Nature is saying, it's a great way to enjoy the evening and brighten our days as the weather warms!

Update On Aeroponics Experiment

I can't say I am totally pleased with my experiment in growing herbs in the AeroGrow 3. Then again WHAT DID I expect? I know the video on the AeroGrow website shows the wonderful growing experience I SHOULD expect, but as my husband said " That's under optimal growing conditions."

I can say though, that when I had an upset stomach the other day (and when nothing else worked) I pinched off a bit of FRESH parsley from the unit and ate that ~ it DID settle my stomach and the parsley WAS yummy.

Running Low On Steam

I may have to face the fact that my 2009 Maple Syrup making is coming to a close. I started pulling taps the other day ~ Amazingly enough the two oldest trees produced the least amount of sap this year (and they didn't produce for very long) so I pulled those taps the other day!

The smaller Black Maple trees I tapped this year are still producing some, though today when I went to collect sap I ONLY got 3 gallons. I notice some budding throughout the yard too. *SIGH* I will likely pull the remaining taps this weekend if I don't do it before then...

On the brighter side, the budding means SPRING is on it's way!!! Time for new gardening projects to begin.