Its the start of the busy season for the garden. Fruit trees are full of leaves and I sigh as I have curly leave again. I am still gathering form the wilds of Bountiful Gippsland, I have been out only once in the boat so far. I am still gathering venison and rabbits when I can, I was gifted 30 large carp, What for you ask?- protein for my meat chooks of course!. I call it protein conversion- converting something that you may not eat into something that you will. Easy Peasy. Its a committment, but worth it.
I am torn between the breed being more like Frankenstein and me sleeping at night knowing that I have provided them a life outside of a cage and a bit longer than cage meat birds.
I have done a few sheep this year already, so plenty of meat in my freezer, and am doing another beast soon.
I will get wood instead of meat, wood is what i am after at the moment. I average about 10 to 12 metres per year. Compared to last year, I used significantly less wood this year even though the winter was cold, it wasn’t long. October/ November is my wood collecting time, whilst its not too hot, but dry enough to get around the properties. It also gives you 6 months of dry wood ready for next winter. I have noticed lots of trees dying across the landscape ( I think there is a major die back: lack of water and warmer weather).
We have incorporated soft plastic recycling in the household system- its not hard- separate bag, that goes to green collect bin at the local supermarket. Our rubbish bin is almost empty each week- can I please be charged on weight?
Believe it or not these chickens are only 5 weeks old!, they are already the size of bantoms
Meat Chickens ( Mini Frankensteins)
These arrived one day, someone has been over producing- massive eggs.
Giant Eggs
These photos are how I set down the beds, planting reasonably close and using sugar cane mulch to create a layer hard for snails to travel across but also to keep moitsure in the soil. It rots down and builds the soil.The photos are of corn and tomatos and some cucumber plants
Little Corn
Baby Tommies
The Garlic is growing well, all things going to plan I might sell some at the end of the year.
Garlic
my own minced beef, add some herbs and spices and amazing meal- Lebanese Kebab, served in flat bread with Tzatziki sauce.
Lebanese Kebab
This is what happens when you have good soil, compost with rotting pumpkin and add mulch and water- I think I have too many plants, i will see if I can pot them up and take them to work and of course give to friends
Pumpkin anyone?
Great post! Leaf curl is a bummer isn’t it. Trying to spray when its not too wet and before the blossom opens doesn’t give much of a window. I feel like winter has gone on forever as we went to NZ for a month April-May and the locals said it was the coldest they’d had for ages. Great use for those cod, nasty little critters. Any tips for your pumpkin, I just don’t seem to have any luck with circuits at all. Do you have a plucking party when you process those chickens? 🙂
Thanks Fergie, The pumpkins just seem to grow- don’t start them too early and lots of nutrition, they love any kind of Poo and lots of it. They also like plenty of water, apart form that they do their own thing. I should have a plucking party, I just skin them, because they are so young, the skin is not very strong and tends to tear. Processing any food with family and friends is a must though.
Think I need more poo! Think we need to hook up and share some skill sets 😍