Rodent Problem

I ran into a problem growing pole beans last year. Every time the vines would get a few leaves, some critter would eat them, leaving a bare stalk that would struggle to produce another leaf, which would then be eaten, etc. I suspected chipmunks to be the culprits, as I have rabbit fencing and there were no deer tracks. Voles could have done the damage as well. I never caught the offenders so I can't say exactly who they were!

Thanks to the rodent problem, the season was a bust as far as beans were concerned. I had to pick beans at a friend's house to freeze for the winter -- the paltry harvest I managed was barely enough for a few side dishes.

This year, in an effort to thwart the wily critters, I made cages from hardware cloth that are about 14" deep and 6" in diameter, and buried them about 7" deep in case the varmint is a digger. So far, so good! I'm keeping my fingers crossed, and I'll post an update at harvest time.

Veggies!

Here's what I've got growing in the garden this season:

Tomatoes (sun sugar, brandy boy, amish paste, mortgage lifter)
Eggplant (ichibon, purple rain, lavender touch)
Pepper (carmen, big red)
Chard (bright lights, fordhook giant)
Pole Beans (rattlesnake, purple violetto)
Lettuce
Radish
Beets
Sugar Snap Peas
Blueberries
Raspberries
Garlic (music, phillips, chesnok)
Rhubarb
Asparagus
Basil
Rosemary
Thyme
Cilantro
Chives

The proliferation of the progeny of the prodigious pigweed: A problem.

Years ago, as a novice gardener, I nurtured a "volunteer" that I thought might be a flower. It did so well with my tender loving care, that it took over the bed, actually growing taller than me! Not recognizing it, I eventually became concerned and asked my garden mentor what it could be. She didn't recognize the description, so I brought a piece of it to work to show her. Puzzled, she said that it looked like pigweed, but she had never heard of one so large! Alas, it had gone to seed (millions of seeds, actually) before I could get rid of it. Lo, these many years later, I am still trying to rid the gardens of pigweed, only now I get them when they are very tiny.
My take-home message: Look it up or ask a friend before it's too late! :-)

Stuff in the garden.

A re-purposed chicken feeder becomes a home for heuchera.

The problem with free-range eggs

Many thoughtful people believe that they are doing a better thing by buying eggs labeled "cage free" or "free range." While certain situations may be better than the factory-farm model, it is NOT POSSIBLE to produce eggs on a commercial basis in a cruelty-free way. Here are some of the problems with eggs.

First of all, unless you have met the hens personally, you have no way of knowing what the labels on those egg cartons mean because there is no regulation of the terms "cage free" or "free range." "Cage free" hens probably live their lives in dark, cold,smelly, over-crowded buildings with no access to the outdoors. They have probably been de-beaked (without anesthesia) and are subject to forced moulting (near-starvation to the point that their feathers fall out). After a year, a much shorter period than a hen's natural lifespan, they are "spent" and either sent to slaughter or gassed or otherwise killed.

The label "free-range" can be just as deceptive. It can simply mean that hens raised in the conditions described in the previous paragraph might be given a small door with access to an outdoor enclosure even if they never actually go outdoors.

There are a few people that raise hens for eggs in a family farm setting in which the hens get to nest in a henhouse and go outdoors during the day. They can dust-bathe and socialize and their beaks are left intact. I actually know someone who has hens under just such conditions and they live a pretty nice life while they are with her family. This model is not free of problems for the animals, and I'll get to that shortly, but it also is NOT a commercially viable way to produce eggs. This family gets eggs for the family and sells the extras at their farm stand or gives them away to friends. But they have not even been able to sell them at the local health food store, because they don't produce a consistent number or size and the store wants a guaranteed supply -- they don't want disappointed customers who expect to find a certain "brand" on a regular basis.

The problems with family farm, free-range egg production don't end there. My friend buys her chicks from a commercial hatchery. Hatcheries keep the hens in terrible conditions. Boy chicks are a problem. They are sorted out and thrown away, or suffocated slowly, or thrown into grinders alive, or whatever method of "disposal" is cheapest. The female chicks are sent to farms through the US mail. Yup, you read that correctly. They MAIL live animals in boxes. Do I need to mention how many arrive dead? Baby chicks need warmth and special care. They need their mothers, actually.

The end of life is also terrible. It is not profitable to keep the hens after they stop laying. They are not pets, after all, they are egg-producing machines. So when they are "spent" (no longer laying as many eggs) they are sent to slaughter or killed in some other way.

It is not possible to make money from eggs in a way that is not cruel. The only solution is not to use eggs at all. We should not be using animals for any reason -- not for food, or clothing, or entertainment. There is no commercially viable use of animals that is not inherently wrong. If an animal is used to make money, then money becomes the focus.

Vegan Feast

I made a vegan meal for non-vegan guests yesterday. It went over very well! Here's the menu:

-fresh tossed salad
-penne with a chunky tomato/artichoke/garlic/olive sauce (the recipe is from The Vegan Table by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau and it's called Crowd Pleasing Pasta with Tomatoes and Artichokes)
-french-cut green beans and finely chopped onion sauteed in toasted sesame oil and tamari.
-homemade whole-wheat dinner rolls
-italian herb polenta with a mushroom/red wine gravy
-strawberry rhubarb crumb-topped pie

I love to cook vegan meals for company!

kids need animals

What did I learn from having animal companions as a child?

I learned that animals are individuals with their own personalities, quirks, habits, likes and dislikes. I currently live with two cats. One is independent, inquisitive, smart, and very insistent on having her own way. The other is a big, dumb, lazy, lovable, cuddly guy.

I learned that animals have interests beyond mere food and shelter. Sometimes they desire companionship, freedom, communication, play, intellectual stimulation -- many of the same things humans desire in life.

I learned that wild animals are wild. I kept trying to capture and keep a variety of wild animals when I was a kid. Snakes, turtles, frogs, etc. I would try to re-create their habitat in a homemade fence or pond or terrarium or cardboard box. My Dad would always help them "escape" before I could do any lasting harm to them.

I learned about the evils of pet breeding and pet stores after a disaster with a pet store kitten. It was a hard lesson for my family to learn, but after that we only had rescued animals.

I learned about death and grieving. I learned that you can adopt another animal but they never take the place of the one you lost. I learned to enjoy the good memories and the new personalities simultaneously.

I learned about patience and perseverance in relationship building. My first cat (I was about 9 years old) was skittish and shy. She eventually became friendly with me and only me. It was years before she would accept the companionship of other people. Later, I had an even tougher case when an adult cat was dropped by my first rental house. It took weeks to coax her inside and longer to get her to the vet. For years, no one saw her but me and my husband. She didn't become friendly to anyone else until she got old and deaf and senile. Then her personality completely changed and she started to love people!

I think that kids should have rescued animal companions for all the reasons above and more. I know some kids who were never allowed pets. Some are scared of animals, others indifferent. I know that one of the most common reasons I hear for people to go vegan is that they realized there is no moral difference between a dog or a cat and a cow or pig. How will people ever make that connection if they have never had a relationship with a non-human animal?