Fresh Eggs Tips!

 Some good tips for storing your fresh eggs!

 Homemade chicken waterer....brillant!

A Day on the High Line, NYC

Saturday was the most amazing day I've had in NYC in a long time!  Good friends of mine took me up to the High Line by Chelsea Pier in New York.  The High Line is a public park built on an historic freight rail line elevated above the streets on Manhattan’s West Side. It is owned by the City of New York, and maintained and operated by Friends of the High Line.

Here are some pictures from Saturday that I took at The High Line and the street fair Chelsea.

 

First Planting in the Vegetable Garden

Here are a couple of views of our garden.

The garden is 20'x30'.

Here we have romaine in the back, red leaf in the middle and spinach up front.

 Basil

Raised beds, large plants are the wintered over parsnips, they are almost ready!

This year Farmer Ken wanted to try potatoes.

 Here are my tomato cages, made of re-enforced wire for concrete work and
a main pole that acts as the ground anchor.

Zucchini...

Broccoli...

 Broccoli on left....Cauliflower on right

Happy Mother's Day!

Can I tell you that I absolutely LOVE my kids?!

Thank you

Kenny, Steph, Pat, & Ryan!

I love you!

The Package...

The Package Opened...

Speaks for itself...

Nickel free earrings...

Nice large coffee table basket tray for my new coffee table book...

Love this silver necklace from J. CREW...

The correct size J. CREW flip flop...

Arm Party Pals!

My kids spoiled me way too much this Mother's Day.  I just loved having them around!

love Mom

Also, sending a shout out to Bozy!  We love you and miss you, have a wonderful Mother's Day!

Free Ranging Chickens

Chickens, wonderful chickens!

There is nothing better than to be able to let your chickens free range in your backyard.  Now our backyard is rather large but the chickens seem to know where we need them the most.  I've spoken about how chickens eat ticks in a previous post.  Well, chickens are worth every ounce of effort that you need to put in to taking caring of them.  They cut down on the bug population and they weed my flower beds.  

Here in New Jersey the population of ticks is huge and only a few years ago, at least 60% of ticks carried Lyme Disease.  Farmer Ken, (my husband) was bit by a tick a few years ago.  Within days he started to feel sick, flu-like symptoms and he became very irritable which was out of character for him.  Of course we sought after a Lyme specialist and they do exist.  He was treated for several months and is doing fine now, but we are ever vigilant in being aware of these small but deadly pests.  I am all for natural pesticides and top of my list are my chickens!

I just want to add that chickens are much easier to raise than a dog or cat.  And when you handle them alot when they are young chicks, they are very friendly and seek your company.  Very rewarding!

Make sure you check out my new "Backyard Tips" page!

Have  a wonderful day today!  Suzanne

2012's Start to the Veggie Garden

 This parsnip wintered over and is almost ripe for the picking!

Never had them til this past winter and we fell in love with them.

I usually julienne them with carrots and just steam them slightly to soften.

This is my vegetable garden.  I had Farmer Ken make me two raised beds for

better use of the dirt, water and my time!  They work wonderfully and I plan to

plant more Arugula; Parsley; Sage wintered over in there so don't have to replant; 

and loads of Basil!