FarmerDenise's journal - full on harvest time = busy, busy, busy

[FarmerDenise]

Chickens love the asparagus berries. We have asparagus popping up all over from seed. It might even be that the birds planted them with a nice little package of fertilizer
We just toss them some place and they grow. But if you are having a difficult time, I would plant them in trays or pots to start them. They are pretty small the first couple of years. SO starts harvesting when they are about 4 years old. They are really skinny still at that time. If it were me, I wouldn't harvest them yet. They like sandy soil. The seeds that sprout on their own are right at the top of the soil. They may have gotten slightly buried. The roots will work themselves down to the level they need to be. If you have access to lots of seeds, and not enough money to buy roots, I would definitely try planting the seeds.

I found the goats like the berries too.

dragonlaurel, asparagus berries are the seed from asparagus. I'll post a picture.

 

[FarmerDenise]

Asparagus plant with berries on it. Each berry usually contains 4 black seeds. They taste sweet and are sticky when the skin get broken, which it tends to do when you pick them. I would not recommend eating them. I just tasted them, because I was curious. It is mostly skin and seeds, not fleshy. I could see why the goats and chickens like them though.

 

[Dunkopf]

Call me ignorant. We have not been able to grow asparagus. Is that how asparagus looks or is that just a name for a berry type plant.

My DW has been canning like crazy.The tomatoes have finally ripened. She also canned a whole bunch of chicken that we bought for 79 cents a lb last year. Mostly breasts. It was can them or lose them to freezer burn. The way she does it makes the chicken delicious and she uses it in casseroles and quiche and stuff.

 

[FarmerDenise]

The picture is of a mature female asparagus plant.

This is a pic I took a few years ago of our asparagus. It doesn't really show it very well, but you can tell how ferny it is and you can sort of see some of the flowers. Ours will grow more than five feet tall sometimes. Usually they are more like 4 feet tall though.

 

[dragonlaurel]

We had wild asparagus growing by the driveway at one old house, but I didn't remember the berries. Guess it has been a long time. Very pretty plant. It was yummy too.

 

[Blackbird]

I had no idea that the berries were edible for animals! We have large patches along the ditches and near the stream that are frequently pillaged by asparagus hunters! They drive all over the country side looking for any to take, gets my blood boiling really.

 

[FarmerDenise]

I am assuming and hoping that it is ok for the critters to eat them. I cannot stop them anyhow, since they get into them. The chickens and wild birds have been eating them for years and the goats have found them also.

We took the day off from farm work, or from any work period. We did the essentials and then just lazed around, watching tv, reading, eating, and playing around on the computer. It was something in the air, we think. It smelled like fall, looks like fall and feels like fall. We feel we never got summer. We just got the animals tucked in for the night and we are going to go do more of the same...

 

[freemotion]

If the chickens and wild birds eat them, they are probably just fine for the other critters, too. Watch their poo, I bet it is fine tomorrow, nice little black nanny berries....

 

[FarmerDenise]

Whenever I am not sure about something the goats want to eat and can't find information on it, I just let them try a little bit every now and then, if there is no bad reaction I let them have some more. I just cannnot prevent them from eating what they want, once they get to have more of the field to roam. If it is stuff I have seen the chickens and wildlife eat, I worry a lot less about it. Of course when I am lucky, I know what plant it is and can find the information somewhere as to wether or not it is toxic for goats.

I am thinking about thawing out some blackberries and serving them with chocolate whipped cream for desert.

Dinner is left overs or hotdogs. SO wants hot dogs, I want left overs, so we are having both.

 

[FarmerDenise]

Yesterday was a lazy day. Just didn't have any get-up-and-go what so ever!

Today I made up for it.

Gave all the critters extra treats, brushed the rabbit, canned 5 quarts of venison broth, started my senfgurken, strained the remaining "wine", labeled the beans I canned a few days ago, picked 2 different kinds of beans, did laundry and made dinner. I wanted to make apple muffins too, but I think it is getting too late for that. Maybe I'll make the dough tonight.
I'm pretty hungry now and dinner is almost done.

Looking forward to sitting down, watching a little tv and playing on the computer.