Monthly Archives: February 2013

Sharing

Posted on February 27, 2013 by Laura Rittenhouse

My chickens aren’t the best at sharing. Poor Rosie gets pecked often when she tries to eat from the same food trough/plate/source as Isabel. Bronwyn is more relaxed but sometimes she’ll chase both Rosie and Isabel away from anything she … Continue reading →

Posted in Chickens, Nature | Tagged , , | 12 Comments

Ratatouille

Posted on February 25, 2013 by Laura Rittenhouse

I love ratatouille and so does Frank. We make it when eggplants are in season and cheap to buy. But wait! This year we have our own eggplant harvest. I’ve tried growing the darned things in the past but this … Continue reading →

Posted in Recipe | Tagged , , , , , | 11 Comments

Self-harvesting, Self-seeding, Magical Potatoes

Posted on February 23, 2013 by Laura Rittenhouse

Everyone knows about potatoes: You plant them and they sprout lots of dark, green leafy stems. Sometime later, those stems die back and you can leave the potatoes in the ground where they wait patiently for you to harvest them … Continue reading →

Posted in Garden, Nature | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

My Poor Avocado Tree

Posted on February 21, 2013 by Laura Rittenhouse

I had such high hopes for my avocado tree this year. It was looking healthy and had its first batch of fruit; maybe 25 avocados in total. I really love avocados and really really wanted to harvest at least one … Continue reading →

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

A Happy Swarm

Posted on February 19, 2013 by Laura Rittenhouse

On or about the 31st of January, one of our bee colonies swarmed. Or, another bee colony in the neighbourhood did. Either way, we captured the swarm. It’s now 2 1/2 weeks later and we needed to get that baby … Continue reading →

Posted in bees | Tagged | 21 Comments

Bronwyn Soiled Herself :-(

Posted on February 17, 2013 by Laura Rittenhouse

Bronwyn is a very good layer (like all Isa Browns) and produces really big eggs every day. Unfortunately twice she’s had a bit of a hiccup where she laid a malformed egg that had a funky shell. Make that 3 times. … Continue reading →

Posted in Chickens | Tagged , | 6 Comments

Honey Peanut Butter Fudge or Caramel

Posted on February 14, 2013 by Laura Rittenhouse

I regularly (honestly, at least once a week) make a batch of fudge. I eat it all myself. It is high in sugar and wonderful and I have a sweet tooth and I do not watch my diet (thus endeth … Continue reading →

Posted in Recipe | Tagged , | 25 Comments

Birth of a Bee

Posted on February 12, 2013 by Laura Rittenhouse

I sometimes take photos when looking in the bee hives. I look for interesting, unusual, disturbing or even normal things. I do this partly to record them and partly because I’ve found I can scrutinise the scene better back at my … Continue reading →

Posted in bees | Tagged | 10 Comments

Welcome Visitor

Posted on February 10, 2013 by Laura Rittenhouse

Recently we had a visit from a blue-tongued lizard (skink actually) a local lizard that’s about 45 cm (a foot-and-a-half) long. Or maybe it’s a bobtail. To be honest, I’m not really clear on the distinction. I call them all … Continue reading →

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

Another Ginger Experiment

Posted on February 8, 2013 by Laura Rittenhouse

I’ve tried growing ginger a few times in a few places in my garden. I must confess that my success has been moderate. About half of my plants die off and about 1/2 produce a rhizome that is approximately double the … Continue reading →

Posted in Garden | Tagged , , | 11 Comments