But now the big question needs to be answered - should this blog change its name?
20.10.12
Otto
We are very happy to announce that Otto joined us on 18 October. He is a very healthy little boy and seems to have adjusted to life on the outside pretty well. It also looks like he'll be a good eater just like big sister.
Sofia went to the hospital Thursday afternoon and looked a bit
confused but she likes babies and seemed to like Otto. She touched
his hand and gave him a kiss on the head. I think she will be a
loving big sister once she adjusts. She went back to the hospital
with her grandparents on Friday after a full day in child care but she fell
asleep on the way there and couldn't be woken up. Saturday morning's visit was a bit up and down. She likes the baby but lots of things have changed and it's all a bit unsettling.
But now the big question needs to be answered - should this blog change its name?
But now the big question needs to be answered - should this blog change its name?
16.10.12
Fruit season is on its way
Last year we didn't keep very good records of when our fruit trees flowered, fruited and got their leaves - partly because we only moved in well into the fruit season - but we did throw together a rough fruit calendar. This is really helpful information for some fruits as it can help us know when the fruit should be ripe. So this year I had been keeping reasonably detailed records for each tree in a spreadsheet on my laptop. But my laptop went when we got burgled last week so again this year we have guesses and hazy memories about when everything happened in the garden. We don't even have dates on photos to refer to as the camera also went.
Lots of the fruit trees have flowered and a number of them are showing reasonably well developed fruit. The apricots are the size of olives, the peaches and nectarines a bit smaller. The almonds look pretty well full size, the damson plums are starting to develop, the quinces are there but small. And various currants and berries are also developing well with the red currants leading the race.
Last year there were only six apricots on the tree but they were the most intense fruit I've ever eaten. We were told different stories about why apricots struggled last year - some people say apricots are very sensitive to late frost, others said it was due to excessive rain while the fruit was developing. This year there are about 100 on the tree for now and hopefully we get a reasonable strike rate from here.
The almonds are full size and now need to ripen. The cockys have had a few goes at them but haven't taken many yet. Last year they took almost all of them by the time they were ready to eat.
The peaches are still tiny. Remarkably the tree has held together for another year.
There are heaps of damson plums, just as there were last year. These are yummy to eat and also make a great sauce.
It's only two months now until the fruit season kicks off and we are really looking forward to it, especially Sofia. Her new sibling will probably be on solid food in time to enjoy the end of the season too.
Lots of the fruit trees have flowered and a number of them are showing reasonably well developed fruit. The apricots are the size of olives, the peaches and nectarines a bit smaller. The almonds look pretty well full size, the damson plums are starting to develop, the quinces are there but small. And various currants and berries are also developing well with the red currants leading the race.
Last year there were only six apricots on the tree but they were the most intense fruit I've ever eaten. We were told different stories about why apricots struggled last year - some people say apricots are very sensitive to late frost, others said it was due to excessive rain while the fruit was developing. This year there are about 100 on the tree for now and hopefully we get a reasonable strike rate from here.
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| Apricots |
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| Almonds |
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| Peaches |
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| Damson plums |
1.10.12
Walkabout
The chooks have been in residence for a week now and the plan was to let them explore the whole back yard once they had settled in. Saturday was a nasty day with constant rain and an icy wind (snow down to 400 metres) and being outside was no fun at all so we waited for Sunday which was a beautiful sunny day. You know you're acclimatised to Hobart when a 14 degree day feels hot.
Before we could let the chickens out Sofia had to give them their instructions.
It took a little while but they finally came out when we put some food outside the gate.
As they became more confident they explored further afield but were still definitely up in their corner of the yard.
The black chook (Barbara) seems to be the tamest one and walked right up to Sofia when she was sitting next to the apple tree.
All this exploring was thirsty work so they found some rain water in an old lid. Sofia thought his was such a good idea that she gave it a try too. She's going to have a super strong immune system.
The garden also has much better places for dirt baths than the pen so the girls spent some quality time in the dirt.
The plan is to let the chooks out into the backyard every day. We've fixed the gate so that we can open and close it more easily and keep them shut in. All we need now is the cheesy sign "Beware of the chooks - please shut the gate!".
Before we could let the chickens out Sofia had to give them their instructions.
It took a little while but they finally came out when we put some food outside the gate.
As they became more confident they explored further afield but were still definitely up in their corner of the yard.
The black chook (Barbara) seems to be the tamest one and walked right up to Sofia when she was sitting next to the apple tree.
All this exploring was thirsty work so they found some rain water in an old lid. Sofia thought his was such a good idea that she gave it a try too. She's going to have a super strong immune system.
The garden also has much better places for dirt baths than the pen so the girls spent some quality time in the dirt.
The plan is to let the chooks out into the backyard every day. We've fixed the gate so that we can open and close it more easily and keep them shut in. All we need now is the cheesy sign "Beware of the chooks - please shut the gate!".
23.9.12
Chooks
It's taken a while but finally we have chooks! It has been months in the planning, four weeks since we had the first big working bee on the chook house and three weeks since we finished building the main part of the structure. Finishing off the house and fitting it out over the last few weekends were much more fiddly and time consuming than we expected.
We found a guy on Gumtree selling chooks at Bridgewater which is about 20 minutes drive up the highway. (I really wanted to find some on ChookNet because I love the fact that this website exists, but there were no point-of-lay pullets being advertised there). Ken's chooks free-range, but he'd put some in a cage for us to choose from. They are around fifteen weeks old which means they will start laying in a month or so.
We bought three and brought them home in a big box - apparently turning up with a box made us more prepared than most of his customers. They didn't seem to mind the trip apart from the roundabouts. Then we put straw and wood shavings in the house and filled their food and water.
Then opened the box and they just sat there.
So we had to grab them and put them in the house by hand.
They seemed pretty comfortable straightaway and not stressed by their journey at all. Sofia was fascinated but not quite sure what to make of them. If only they understood what is coming their way once she gets used to them...
When we gave them some food scraps they got straight into it and were scratching around finding their own too.
The run is a bit of a mud pit as we've had 30mm of rain in the past three days and it is clay soil. We may have to work on drainage, but once the chooks have settled in they will be able to roam more widely in the backyard during the day where there is grass and all manner of tasty plants and insects.
We found a guy on Gumtree selling chooks at Bridgewater which is about 20 minutes drive up the highway. (I really wanted to find some on ChookNet because I love the fact that this website exists, but there were no point-of-lay pullets being advertised there). Ken's chooks free-range, but he'd put some in a cage for us to choose from. They are around fifteen weeks old which means they will start laying in a month or so.
We bought three and brought them home in a big box - apparently turning up with a box made us more prepared than most of his customers. They didn't seem to mind the trip apart from the roundabouts. Then we put straw and wood shavings in the house and filled their food and water.
Then opened the box and they just sat there.
So we had to grab them and put them in the house by hand.
They seemed pretty comfortable straightaway and not stressed by their journey at all. Sofia was fascinated but not quite sure what to make of them. If only they understood what is coming their way once she gets used to them...
When we gave them some food scraps they got straight into it and were scratching around finding their own too.
22.9.12
Building a chook house - the finishing touches
The chook house was more or less built but it needed a few more things done before the new residents can move in. The chooks needed access, somewhere to sleep, somewhere to lay eggs and we need to be able to get the eggs.
The ramp is made from bits of wood found around our yard. Sofia is checking it out and her new sibling is looking on. Note also that the chook door now has a hook to hold it open.
A chook's eye view of the ramp from inside when the ramp was half finished.
The roost is just a branch pruned from the chestnut tree, trimmed to size then nailed to the frame.
The nesting boxes are free standing boxes with a sloping roof so the chooks can't sit on top. Here is Miranda making the nest boxes (and Sofia making "soup" if you look closely).
Relaxing in the chook house with the finished nest boxes. Possibly the last time I ever sit on the floor in there.
The egg door is an important part of the chook shed as it allows us to collect any eggs without going into the chook yard. We had to cut out a section of the wire mesh from the old dog enclosure so that the gate can open. It opens from the top so that little children can easily check the eggs.
Checking that the door works...
We've also fixed the gate on the enclosure that has been broken since we moved in.
Only one thing missing now...
The ramp is made from bits of wood found around our yard. Sofia is checking it out and her new sibling is looking on. Note also that the chook door now has a hook to hold it open.
A chook's eye view of the ramp from inside when the ramp was half finished.
The roost is just a branch pruned from the chestnut tree, trimmed to size then nailed to the frame.
The nesting boxes are free standing boxes with a sloping roof so the chooks can't sit on top. Here is Miranda making the nest boxes (and Sofia making "soup" if you look closely).
Relaxing in the chook house with the finished nest boxes. Possibly the last time I ever sit on the floor in there.
The egg door is an important part of the chook shed as it allows us to collect any eggs without going into the chook yard. We had to cut out a section of the wire mesh from the old dog enclosure so that the gate can open. It opens from the top so that little children can easily check the eggs.
Checking that the door works...
We've also fixed the gate on the enclosure that has been broken since we moved in.
Only one thing missing now...
12.9.12
Using our preserves
One of the things that we tried to consider when preserving the summer bounty from the garden was how the end product would be used - no point making a whole lot of something if it just sat in the cupboard.
This post is just to comment on some of the hits and misses.
The cake turned out quite well.
I didn't have the recommended size tin and used a smaller one which resulted in a thicker cake so the edge was a bit overdone and dry before the middle was cooked. Also, the cubes of paste in the cake were not very evenly distributed (I was worried they would break up when I mixed it) so some pieces of cake had lots while others were lacking. Overall it was still pretty yummy - I think I will have to make it again with a few tweaks (maybe some yoghurt in the mix and definitely a shallower profile). The recipe is available online here.
This post is just to comment on some of the hits and misses.
- The dried plums and pears were a big hit, we have run out of both and will definitely do more next season
- The various jams (cherry plum, berry, crabapple) are all delicious and while we don't eat a lot of jam ourselves, they have been easy to give away. Plus having yummy jam means that I have been forced to try scone making and revisit pikelets (both being good jam and cream vehicles)
- In comparison, the plum sauce, while very tasty has been languishing
The cake turned out quite well.
I didn't have the recommended size tin and used a smaller one which resulted in a thicker cake so the edge was a bit overdone and dry before the middle was cooked. Also, the cubes of paste in the cake were not very evenly distributed (I was worried they would break up when I mixed it) so some pieces of cake had lots while others were lacking. Overall it was still pretty yummy - I think I will have to make it again with a few tweaks (maybe some yoghurt in the mix and definitely a shallower profile). The recipe is available online here.
9.9.12
Building a chook house - day 3
The final step was putting together the chook shed wall panels that we'd built on day 1 and day 2 and trying to work out how to put a roof on the thing. Unlike last weekend, it was an absolutely gorgeous day.
First, I assembled the shed's base on my own. It probably wasn't the smartest way to do things but I built it in the garage so there was a flat surface to work on then carried it out to the chook yard. The legs aren't designed for this and they sagged a bit on the way but it was easy enough to knock them back into place once it was on the ground.
The rest of the shed needed to be assembled in one hit so we didn't have a half built chook house with no roof at the end of the day. I wasn't actually sure that this would be possible when John turned up around 3pm but he was confident so we decided to give it a red hot go.
Putting up the precision engineered walls was easy because they really were very well made. Really! They all stood up nice and vertical and fitted together pretty well exactly as planned. For a first attempt, this was quite impressive - in my humble opinion.
Sofia loved being in the half built chook house. Chiara appeared somewhat more suspicious of her father's reasons for putting her there.
The roof was more challenging and the plans weren't finalised until we had put the rest of the structure together and could see how it all fitted together. John worked out a solution and we made it work without too much hassle.
It was dark by the time we finished so this photo was taken a few days later. So here it is, finished but for a few details and the fit out. It may look a bit like an outdoor dunny but it will soon be home to our very own chickens.
First, I assembled the shed's base on my own. It probably wasn't the smartest way to do things but I built it in the garage so there was a flat surface to work on then carried it out to the chook yard. The legs aren't designed for this and they sagged a bit on the way but it was easy enough to knock them back into place once it was on the ground.
The rest of the shed needed to be assembled in one hit so we didn't have a half built chook house with no roof at the end of the day. I wasn't actually sure that this would be possible when John turned up around 3pm but he was confident so we decided to give it a red hot go.
Putting up the precision engineered walls was easy because they really were very well made. Really! They all stood up nice and vertical and fitted together pretty well exactly as planned. For a first attempt, this was quite impressive - in my humble opinion.
Sofia loved being in the half built chook house. Chiara appeared somewhat more suspicious of her father's reasons for putting her there.
The roof was more challenging and the plans weren't finalised until we had put the rest of the structure together and could see how it all fitted together. John worked out a solution and we made it work without too much hassle.
It was dark by the time we finished so this photo was taken a few days later. So here it is, finished but for a few details and the fit out. It may look a bit like an outdoor dunny but it will soon be home to our very own chickens.
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