a man and his hoe

every day is a good day

  • Poo Power

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    It’s midwinter, and baby it’s cold outside. Cold, windy, and wet. But poo never rests. Mixed with straw and, in this case, shredded paper, it is generating heat. Actually it is all the bacteria feasting on the chicken poo which is creating the heat. The compost pile is coming alive and getting warmer by the day.

    Done correctly, a sizable compost pile will keep an unheated hoop house from freezing. Place thick pipes in it, and a steady flow of warm air will flow from the center of the pile. It’s amazing what poo will do.

  • The Swans Beckon

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    The skies are infinitely gray. The darkest days of the year are upon us. We are greeted with darkness upon waking up. The light doesn’t last as long as supper. It is easy to close your eyes and sleep. But the swans beckon. In vast flocks they trample the sodden fields, honking and telling us to cheer up. “Look at all the wonderful mud!” they honk as they splash their way back and forth on big, webbed feet. We’re kinda of luckier than them. When we run through mud, we can feel it oozing between our toes. When swans waddle through mud, their webbed feet keep the mud from squishing between their toes.

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  • Lining a Path

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    It’s time to use the alder tree that fell down in last week’s storm. It doesn’t take long to drag the pieces of the trunk to the sides of the path to line them. As the wood deteriorates, moss will cover it, creating a soft, green border.

    It doesn’t take long for the dogs and chickens to use the new path, though most of the paths are ones the dogs made first. I’m just widening and lining them. When you walk through the woods, you see myriad paths created and maintained by dogs, deer, coyotes, and many other animals. It makes you wonder how long it will be before Google sends out dog sized robots to map and photograph all these animal trails. Or perhaps they could be mapped at night using silent drones with infrared cameras to trace where the deer and coyotes go. Then during the day, the little robots could zip along photographing the animal trails.

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  • How Fresh Are Your Eggs – Most Likely Not Very

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    Yesterday we went shopping at our co-op. It’s where we do much of our shopping. I was curious as to how fresh their eggs were, and the freshest eggs I could find were those packed 8 days ago. There were also eggs that were packed more than 30 days ago.

    According to the USDA: “Many eggs reach stores only a few days after the hen lays them.” Hmmm, I’ve yet to encounter such fresh eggs in a supermarket. They typically are two to six weeks old.

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    The USDA has no legal definition for the word “Fresh” when it comes to eggs. It does have a definition for “Fresh Poultry” which is:

    FRESH POULTRY:
    “Fresh” means whole poultry and cuts have never been below 26 °F (the temperature at which poultry freezes). This is consistent with consumer expectations of “fresh” poultry, i.e., not hard to the touch or frozen solid.
    In 1997, FSIS began enforcing a final rule prohibiting the use of the term “fresh” on the labeling of raw poultry products whose internal temperature has ever been below 26 °F.
    The temperature of individual packages of raw poultry products labeled “fresh” can vary as much as 1 °F below 26 °F within inspected establishments or 2 °F below 26 °F in commerce.
    Fresh poultry should always bear a “keep refrigerated” statement.
    (USDA – Meat and Poultry Labeling Terms)

    I’ll keep looking for these phantom, a few days old eggs, the USDA claims are on store shelves. If I find any, I’ll let you know. Tomorrow, I’m going to have a chat with Karen at the USDA. I was going to chat with her this morning, but she doesn’t chat on Thursdays. I wonder what she does on Thursdays. I’m going to find out what the USDA thinks consumer expect when they see phrases like “farm fresh” on eggs.

  • The Cleaning Crew

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    Clear a stack of wood, and the chickens move in like the cleaning crew. They scratch through the remaining debris, bark, and leaves, looking for any bugs and worms to eat. They can be very helpful. I’m convinced that a flock of chickens make excellent flea control. Fleas don’t stand a chance against a flock of keen-eyed fowl.

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