Monthly Archives: December 2012

What Else but a Possum

Posted on December 30, 2012 by Laura Rittenhouse

What else could have done this but a possum? Inside the teepee of cucumber vines I found the remains of more than one tomato. Possums only come out at night, why would it hide in this little “room”? It does … Continue reading →

Posted in Garden, Nature | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

Easy Potatoes

Posted on December 28, 2012 by Laura Rittenhouse

I sowed 8 potatoes from my kitchen cupboard back in mid-August. By mid-December they were ready to harvest. I left them in the ground for a while because I was still eating the last harvest of potatoes. But when I … Continue reading →

Posted in Garden | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

Bay Tree

Posted on December 26, 2012 by Laura Rittenhouse

I’ve had a bay tree in a pot for forever – or a good decade anyway. The pot was small and the tree was small (I’m sure this is no coincidence). That little tree somehow survived neglect by me, total … Continue reading →

Posted in Chickens, Garden | Tagged , , | 15 Comments

Honey Almond Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

Posted on December 24, 2012 by Laura Rittenhouse

As I continue in my effort to make things from ingredients I (or my “pets”) produce, I find myself toying with tried-and-true recipes. This example is my bog standard chocolate chip cookie recipe modified to include my almond meal and … Continue reading →

Posted in Recipe | Tagged , , | 9 Comments

Chicken IQ

Posted on December 22, 2012 by Laura Rittenhouse

When I first got chickens I did a fair bit of reading about them. There’s plenty of evidence pointing to the fact that chooks are pretty darned bright. They communicate with numerous different clucks and calls, they recognise individual (up … Continue reading →

Posted in Chickens | Tagged | 24 Comments

What’s Working?

Posted on December 20, 2012 by Laura Rittenhouse

My original thought was to blog about my incredible tomato harvest. I had planned to sing the praises of cherry tomatoes. I’ve had dubious success with tomatoes in the past (a fruit everyone can grow easily) and did some reading … Continue reading →

Posted in bees, Chickens, Garden, Nature, Sustainability | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Cabbage Moth Net

Posted on December 18, 2012 by Laura Rittenhouse

Frank was reading an organic gardening supply magazine recently (as you do) and came across some information on how to deal with cabbage moths, a.k.a. Laura’s Nemeses. There are sprays to kills the caterpillars, there is the strategy of picking the caterpillars … Continue reading →

Posted in Garden, Nature, Sustainability | Tagged , | 6 Comments

Cockatoos and Sunflowers

Posted on December 16, 2012 by Laura Rittenhouse

Yesterday I spotted a sulphur crested cockatoo swooping in my backyard (not unusual). It looked like it must have landed on the side fence (unusual). I went and took a look and found it in the banana plant (unusual) near … Continue reading →

Posted in Chickens, Garden, Nature | Tagged , , , , | 16 Comments

Solar Beeswax Melter

Posted on December 14, 2012 by Laura Rittenhouse

If you have bees, you end up with beeswax. If you have messy bees, you end up with a lot of beeswax. No matter where the wax comes from, you’ve got to melt it to a) separate out any honey … Continue reading →

Posted in bees, Sustainability | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments

My Chicken Transmogrified into a Quail

Posted on December 12, 2012 by Laura Rittenhouse

Isabel transmogrified into a quail this morning… then turned back into a chicken. That’s the only explanation I can come up with for why she laid a dark brown, 23 gram egg when her normal egg is 60 grams and a … Continue reading →

Posted in Chickens | Tagged , | 2 Comments