IT’S THAT TIME

One of the nice things about using the Deep Litter method in the chicken coop is that over the course of the year, we can just add more bedding on top of the old, with an occasional layer of Diatomaceous Earth. The bad thing of course is that, eventually, you have to clean it all out.

The Day of Reckoning came on Saturday. For Oscar. (hee hee)

He scooped out all the bedding, down to the layer of sand at the bottom, gave it a hour or so to “air out,” put down a layer of DE (if he did as he was told), and dumped in a new bag of bedding to start over again.

My tasks this week were less physical.

When I planted my greens beds, I mixed radish seeds in with the other seeds. I have used radishes as “spacers” in the garden for decades. That way, instead of measuring how far to space the different seeds out, the spacing is created as the radishes are harvested.

I don’t eat radishes. Even if I did eat them, keeping up with the multitude of radishes coming out of the garden would have been impossible. I had to come up with an alternative use for them.

Enter Pickled Radishes.

I’ve never had Pickled Radishes so didn’t know if this experiment would result in something edible.

Tuesday, I sliced the radishes with the Mandolin Slicer — successfully leaving my fingers out of it this time.

I packed them into 1/2-pint jars and poured brine made with Mrs. Wages Refrigerator Pickles mix over them. Once lidded, I put them into the refrigerator.

I took them with me to Easter Dinner for a taste test. My son-in-law wouldn’t even consider trying them. The boys tried them but, while they didn’t hate them, weren’t particularly impressed. My daughter said she’s “not offended” by them. That was my impression of them also. Overall, I’m glad I tried them but it’s one of those things I don’t need to repeat.

Thursday, I went to my favorite strawberry place – Kildee Farm – and picked up a flat of strawberries. I haven’t processed strawberries since 2022 and it was time!

From the flat, I first made a batch of freezer jam. I’ve decided I prefer freezer jam for strawberries. Freezer jam tastes like strawberries. Canned jam reminds me of strawberry Jello where the sugar overwhelms the strawberry taste.

The remaining berries were dehydrated for snacks.

I’m pleased with what I accomplished last week!

Today, we tried something new with Calvin.

As you know, none of our attempts to incorporate him into the flock have been successful. Today, toward the end of the day, we let the hens out of the chicken run for a long overdue walk-about. They have not been out for a very long time because of hawks and other dangers. The three Buff Orpingtons were funny – they didn’t know what to do and huddled together on the grass for quite a while. They had never been Outside. Everyone else scattered – excited to be out.

Calvin was beside himself. He was finally actually able to touch the girls. Rather than trying to woo them though, he just immediately started jumping them. No one was putting up with that nonsense and every one of the hens dumped him off and walked away.

The theory behind this experiment was: Calvin will follow the girls into the coop when it’s time for bed.

Nope. Chickens continue to prove that if human thinks it, a chicken will do the opposite.

As the daylight dimmed, most of the girls headed into the coop for bed. Calvin headed to his home, calling for them to follow him. Loki and Betty apparently got confused about where they were supposed to go and dithered in the yard until Oscar went out and put them in the coop. After everyone was in bed and the coop door closed, Calvin returned to the chicken run. He sure had a perplexed look as he tried to figure out where everyone went and why they didn’t follow him!

Chicken brains. SMH.

The week before, I completed another quilt top.

With things ramping up on the homestead, I don’t know if I will be able to keep up the pace I’ve been producing quilt tops. We shall see.