When are apple’s at their most beautiful? When they first bloom or when they ripen? It’s hard to decide when they are in full bloom. It’s hard to believe that these delicate blossoms will, by fall, be heavy, crisp, sweet, juicy apples.
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When Are Apple’s Most Beautiful?
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A Bouquet of Arugula Please
One of the hoop houses is loaded with blooming arugula. I had a patch of arugula which overwintered, and it is now in full bloom. Each time I’d pass the hoop house, I’d smell an intriguing, minty, spicy fragrance. It’s the heavenly aroma of arugula blossoms. The fragrance is minty with hints of cinnamon and allspice. Next time you want to compliment someone, tell them they are as refreshing as arugula blossoms.
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The Power of Microbes
It’s amazing how much power invisible things have. I started a new compost bin yesterday. Using a 16 foot long by 4 foot wide piece of cattle fencing, I rolled it into a ring 4.5 feet across. I had to wrap it in fine hardware cloth to keep the chickens out. I added one wheelbarrow of poultry bedding, and by the time I returned with a second wheelbarrow, the compost bit was full of chickens. Chickens are great at turning and tearing apart compost piles. They aren’t welcome when you are starting a compost pile. Once I had the compost bin chicken-safe, I filled it with:
- 2 wheelbarrows of composted poultry bedding
- 2 wheelbarrows of rabbit bedding
- 1 wheelbarrow of dried tomato bean vines
- 4 wheelbarrows of poultry bedding
- 2 wheelbarrows of forest brush
- 3 wheelbarrows of comfrey and burdock leaves
- 1 wheelbarrow of forest floor decomposed leaves
The center of the compost was 60ºF when I put it all together yesterday afternoon. This morning it was 80ºF. I can’t see them, but trillions of microscopic creatures are having a feast, gorging themselves and generating excess heat from dancing through the night. May they party, eat, drink, and dance for a long time.
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Asparagus in Mid-April
Last year, I first picked asparagus on April 30. In 2012 it was April 26. Having asparagus on April 18 is early. Asparagus picked while you prepare your lunch or dinner doesn’t need to be cooked. It has a fresh, sweet, green taste eaten raw.
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Nijihime’s Chicks Hatch
Nijihime’s chicks hatched on Thursday. I’ve had many hens hatch chicks over the years, but it’s always a pleasant surprise when I first see a chick peeping out from under its mother’s feathers. I was expecting her chicks to appear on Friday, so seeing their curious faces Thursday afternoon caught me off guard.
