…Ducklings! Anticipation is filling our homestead. We have decided to let our girl Millie sit on her clutch of eggs. As of today, she is sitting on 23 eggs and we are not quite sure what we are getting  ourselves into. We knew after raising our three ducks, the only way we would have more is if it happened naturally. So we are letting nature take it’s course. Our mama duck was nice enough to make her nest on the patio by our back door under our firewood pile. Not the best spot for a nest, but all the  eggs are in one place so it makes it easier for a daily count. When Millie first started laying, we found eggs everywhere, including the pond. Now she is a pro!

Her boyfriends (and bodyguards) Milhouse and Moe wait patiently for her to take a break from nesting so they can play in the pond and eat grubs and slugs together.  While Mille is all about the nest, Moe and Milhouse are all about charging anyone they feel is getting too close to their lady (mainly our dog Olive and our cat Franklin) and it’s a hoot!

To bee continued…

~Sara

We are finally getting the February I was waiting for. Ha. Ha. We’ve had more snow the last couple days and there’s even some falling this morning. This IS NW Ohio. It snows in April sometimes. That’s why we wait until mid-May to do most of our planting! I am tired of hearing complaints about the weather. I’m pretty sure Florida still welcomes new residents if it bothers you that much. It will be “mosquito season” here soon enough. I was swatting them in early March and I removed a tick from our cat’s face a few weeks ago. That’s a little too early for me.

I love the snow…and so does Olive ! ! !

Gobble ! Gobble ! Gobble ! Gobble !

Those are the infectious sounds that echo throughout the Oak Openings region this time of year. I was lucky enough to attend a “turkey concert” this morning. I hope to get a front row seat next week when spring turkey season starts. We love organic, free-range, locally grown, self-harvested wild meat…fry it up!

-Steve

Remember this little “science experiment” in grade school? What a great way to get sweet potatoes started for the garden. Just one organic sweet potato (even a small “ugly” one like I used) can produce dozens of plant starts. Other supplies needed include: a jar, 4 toothpicks, water, and a sunny windowsill.  Put toothpicks in the middle, so the sweet potato sits halfway in the jar and fill the jar with water. Put in a warm windowsill. After a week or two, roots will start to form.

Add water as needed, so the roots stay submerged. Remove sprouts when they are 6″ or taller and put them in a separate jar of water. After the sprouts form roots, you can plant them directly in the ground, or put them in pots and continue growing in a windowsill before planting outside. I have had more luck rooting them in soil before transplanting. I wait until late May/ early June here in NW Ohio before I plant them in mounds outside. They like warmer weather. Enjoy your harvest in the fall…right around the time of the first frost.

Speaking of warmer weather…

Yes, it has been snowing here today. Today’s weather has also included high winds, sunshine, pea-sized hail, rain, freezing rain, and…a chorus of frogs!

Perfect.        

-Steve