by Jeanne
I promised to share this French fig salad recipe with you. This recipe originally came from a cookbook by Georgeanne Brennan called Savoring France: Recipes and Reflections on French Cooking. I updated the recipe to remove the dairy and fat. The result is a flavorful, lower calorie dessert that sparkles with the essence of the…
What to do with fresh figs? Well, you can eat them, of course. If you are growing figs in Virginia or anywhere else, one thing is clear: the harvest begins in late summer and continues into the fall. The abundance from one or two small fig trees is astonishing. Here’s what to do with fresh…
What is mushroom compost? This complete guide to mushroom compost will explain what this soil amendment is, what it does for your vegetable garden, and its many benefits. We’ve used mushroom compost in the past here at Seven Oaks Farm, the inspiration for Home Garden Joy. In the past, we purchased bags of it from…
When the opossums eat it, of course. One of the first questions I had this summer about my new patch of cantaloupe growing in the raised bed garden was, “How to tell when cantaloupe is ripe? How do you know it’s time to pick it??” Of course, I searched online for the answer. “It will…
Cari
Jeanne ~ We had chickens on Long Island, of all places. Our friends got bunnies for Easter, my parents got us chickens. We would collect our own breakfast egg in the morning.
Some thoughts about the chicken house (a coop). Make sure that there is a roof on the pen. It’s very easy for noctural animals (‘coons and foxes) to climb up the sides and ‘drop in’ the pen. Make sure that the pen is big enough for both of you to stand up in. Also, bury the bottom of the pen several inches. You may want to bend the fence, L shaped and bury the horizontal part of the L outside of the pen. This will make it more difficult for animals to tunnel under to get to the chickens. Make sure that the door leading into the pen has 2 separate ‘locking’ mechanisms. Coons are smart, they can open locks, but if 2 need to be engaged, more difficult. For the actual house, a small door for the chickens, and a larger entrance so you can get the eggs out.
Also, placement of the pen is key. Chicken poo is really stinky, but makes great fertilizer.
Good Luck with the chickens, can’t wait to read about them.