spring

 Spring is almost over, but here are a few spring flowers that always make me smile.

 

Garden update: I've planted greens, lettuce, spinach, beets, and carrots 3 times because the chickens kept breaking into the garden and either digging things up (carrots and beets) or eating all the freshly sprouting greens (spinach, lettuce, kale, and greens). They haven't been able to get in for the last two weeks so hopefully I'm not too far behind.  Other things have done ok. Peas, and onions are doing well. I've got summer squash growing in walls of water, and half of my tomotoes as well.  Potatoes are planted in tires but haven't popped up yet. I've been working on my strawberry bed and thats taken a lot longer then I thought. I've only got 3 long beds left to turn over and hoping to have those done this week.... course I have to finish the strawberries first.  Then I will plant the rest of the tomatoes, and once we are past frost danger I will plant everything else.


I wish there was a way to let the ducks in but keep the chickens out as the ducks aren't as distructive in their search for bugs. 

Speaking of the ducks and chickens, soon after my last post I ended up with not one, but two replacement ducks.  I haven't been able to take good pictures of them, so I'm taking two off the internet.  This is what Daisey (aka dark wing) looks like- sort of. She is a Roen duck which is more of a meat duck. She is fatter and lower to the ground, so she is slower and easier to catch then the others.  She has been laying everyday since spring, but likes to lay in "secret" nests that she periodically digs out because someone keeps removing her eggs. I imagine she won't lay as long as the khaki's.

Here is Petunia checking out one of Macy's secret egg laying spots.

And this is sort of what Geranium (aka Gerald) looks like.  She is the same as my original ducks (khaki campbells) , but has a small poof on the top of her head. She lays regularly like my other two. Unforunately, Gerald and dark wing aren't as friendly as my other two, and like to pick on them. They are getting along better now but probably would be more peaceful if I only kept one of the two new ones.

 

 

I get four duck eggs everyday, but the chickens slowed way down over the winter and haven't picked up much since then. I think my two good layers (Cassidy and Sparkle) need to finish molting and then they might lay better... but they are hybrids which means they just might be done laying since they are over 2 years old.  However, I still have tons of eggs and give away a couple of dozen a week.

I need more egg recipes. This quiche was pretty good, but I can't eat quiche everyday :) I've made lots of flan, lots of pound cake (amazing with duck eggs), lots of omlets, lots of scrambled, fried, and eggs benedict, etc.  Egg ideas are appreciated...