Well Spring is finally here.  I was reminded of its coming by the Crocus that faithfully popped up in our front yard.  They are so nice and cheery to look at as were were shoveling, hoeing and turning over the winter rested soil in our vegetable garden.  I like gardening, how about you? Whether it be a small flower bed, or a big huge vegetable garden, there is a certain satisfaction in seeing something you chose and plant thrive and grow into a beautiful plant.  This year we are biggering our vegetable garden by just a bit for a couple reasons. Economic times are a little tight for us so growing some of our food is a good way to alleviate the grocery budget. More importantly however, is the fact that we can grow most everything organic. In a world that is so filled with chemicals, additives and of course the threat of nuclear fallout, it is nice to know where your food is coming from.  And of course there is nothing like a homegrown tomato fresh out of the garden.      
   I am excited to see our garden grow this year as I have been doing a lot of reading about companion planting. GH Organics has a great list on their web site with lots and lots of vegetables and flowers that compliment each other by repelling bugs, improving taste or helping to keep weeds down.  They also tell you what NOT to plant in close proximity.  This is a portion of what the web site says about potatoes... Horseradish, planted at the corners of the potato patch, provides general protection. Alyssum makes a perfect living mulch for them. Don't plant these around potatoes: asparagus, cucumber, kohlrabi, parsnip, pumpkin, rutabaga, squash family, sunflower, turnip and fennel. Keep potatoes and tomatoes apart as they both can get early and late blight contaminating each other. With all this in mind we are keeping records of what we plant and trying to have a healthier, happier garden through companion planting.    
  Back to the Crocus....I can't help but post a sweet picture of our little grand baby sprout wearing the newest vintage upcycled dress I made her.  My daughter in law and I are preparing to launch a new Etsy store for vintage and upcycled baby and toddler clothes.

I am very proud of my husband because this year when it was time to order chickens, he said, "No more of those hybrid Cornish cross ugly things that can only live eight or ten weeks and then die of a heart attack if you don't butcher them." At first I was a little disappointed, as those ugly things have a lot of nice meat on them, and we free range them, so they are mighty tasty and healthy, but I considered what he said, and then read an article in hobby farms about heritage chicken breeds. The article is from the March/April 2009 issue, I don't know if you can read it online, I couldn't get to the article myself.  Anyway it listed several dual purpose chicken breeds and several good reasons why you should raise them. There are 26 breeds on the ALBC (American Livestock Breeds Conservancy) and to quote Carol Ekarius, Hobby Farms contributing editor and author of Storey's Illustrated Guide to Poultry Breeds, "Chickens that come out of the traditional dual- or multipurpose breeding schemes really deserve attention... they produce a respectable egg supply, and although they grow a little more slowely than some of the modern meat breeds, they put on a pretty respectable carcass for meat eaters..."  I was sold.  So I went on reading about the four critically endangered breeds that were developed in the United States.  The breed that caught my eye were the Javas.  The article went on to describe them as  "excellent free-range foragers, hardy and docile in temperament. And Javas are a feast for the eyes!"  I ordered my little Javas from Welp Hatchery and they arrived safe and sound around March 11th.  Right on schedule to the hatchery's shipping dates.  They are a week old today and doing great. I am really loving them, and also loving the smaller scale of a little flock.  So I thanked my husband for insisting on no more cornish cross birds! Check out my other products page for some cute little chicken pin cushions I made in honor of my new flock!