Kale growing for a year

I am sure my kale will bolt with this warm weather, but the chicken's are still enjoying it until then. I think it looks
a little pre- historic. :). For the last 6 months everyone asks me what it is. It looks like little trees. After pulling the branches off through out the year this is what it looks like.

Glenda, don't show you chickens. 1/2 acre

First Signs of Spring

I'd add a picture of my lettuce sprouts popping up, but you can't see them in the picture. I also saw a few spinach sprouting too. I may reseed the peas, since I am not seeing any of those sprouting, and their germination is less than the others. It could be that it hasn't been warm enough.

What a beautiful day. It's suppose to hit 70 today. I put up my back screen door, and turned off the furnace. Good thing right now I am seeing a bumble bee on the outside.

Kitty Mae likes being able to come and go.

I let the chickens out to roam.

I took the cover off the artichoke plant.  Nobody can believe it lasted all winter.  I got it from our local hardware store, Leeper's, last year.  I have been posting its progress on their facebook page.

Soaked 4 pounds of beans last night to can 16 pints today.  They must boil an hour before canning.

Sweet and Sour Cabbage Wedges

I thought this was posted on my blog before but I can't seem to find it.  I enjoyed this sweet and sour cabbage recipe.  It is a nice variation to our plain food.

http://cabbagerecipes.org/sweet-and-sour-cabbage-wedges/

My Chickens

Here's a pic of my araucana's which lay green eggs, and the feather headed polish. 

My eggs top row large blue green araucana eggs, white medium eggs on the bottom are the polish eggs.  The polish do lay smaller eggs.  I'm partial to polish chickens.  Its fun watching them run around with their heads bobbing.  I think the wind sometimes catches their heads and tosses them around too.  Poor cute things. 

Me at the Farmers Market? and the Vinson Watts Tomato

I am anxiously excited to join the farmers market this spring.  I am going to attempt to sell some of my garden produce as well as a few craft items.  I heard okra sold really well last year.  Okra is very easy to grow, so I will definitely put in a couple dozen okra plants.  Perhaps I will have an extra cantaloupe, and a few green peppers too.  Maybe I can sell some lettuce, spinach, green beans, beets, kale, and swiss chard.  I already started my Vincent Watts tomato plants.  I got a Vincent Watts plant from the farmers market last year.  I saved some seed and have 6 plants sprouting for this year.  Perhaps I can capitalize on the specialty tomato. 

The Vinson Watts was originally called the Evans tomato from Wilson Evans of Lee County, Virginia. Vinson Watts was given the Evans family tomato seed in the spring of 1956, and developed it in the Moorehead, KY area for 50 years into the tomato it is today.  The Vincent Watts resembles a pink beefsteak tomato.  The tomato seed was first available to the public in 2006 by the Baker CreekHeirloom Seeds.

Reference:  http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/680606/
http://www.azcentral.com/style/hfe/outdoors/articles/2006/09/13/20060913tomato0913.html
http://t.tatianastomatobase.com:88/wiki/Vinson_Watts

Garden 2012

Last year I started my garden around the middle of February.  This year I am starting on January 31.  It has been so warm that I decided to go for it!  I tilled 6 bags of manure into an approx. 10 x 5 foot section.  I put in peas, carrots, lettuce, and beets.