Yes, spring is in full swing around here.  There is no shortage of things to do.  I am sure it is true for you as well!

We have been spending a lot of time in the garden.  I have several fall crops that are ready to be harvested, and then other plants and seeds that I am slowly but surely getting in the ground.  It can be tricky to get it all planned out.

Before we started getting the garden ready, we let the chickens in to do some weed-eating and scratching.  They had a great time.

We bought some plastic fencing and some bamboo stakes and fenced off areas we didn’t want the chickens to bother… then we opened up the gate.

It didn’t look all that pretty, but it did the trick.

Holding chickens is still one of this guy’s favorite things to do.  Really.  He was restricted from holding the chickens for several days last week when he misbehaved.  Pure torture for the boy.Here are some of the things we are harvesting now.I grew twice as many carrots this year.  They are one of the vegetables enjoyed by everyone in the family and like most root vegetables, they keep pretty well.  I have been using them in stews and with roast and most recently in a coleslaw made with fresh cabbage we grew.

Brussels sprouts.  They amaze me.  Just look at how they grow… little rows of tiny cabbages up a stalk.  I am still trying to figure out the best way to harvest them.  I was going to pull up the whole plant, but some sprouts are ready and some are not… I guess I will just cut them off individually as they ripen.  Any good brussels sprouts recipes you could share?

More carrots and onions.  Onions are another crop that will keep really well.  I am disappointed that I never got my potatoes in the ground.  I should be harvesting them about now.  I have a pretty good reason why I didn’t get the chance to plant them… maybe I’ll share more about that another time.  (a trip… far away… across an ocean…)

I guess we just can’t have it all… our trips and potatoes too.