An Unexpected Harvest

Part of my afternoon chore routine is completely predictable. The ram and the hens, neither known for their great brain power, can predict my actions with uncanny accuracy. That fact alone, should alert everyone to the complete predictability of the routine. All my actions have come to be expected.

First, I walk out back to feed the ram. He is pacing and calling as I walk through the garden gate.

On the way back, I stop in the hoophouse to turn off the water. If it’s cold, I need to close the hoophouses. If it’s warm, I simply need to check that while the water was running, it was only irrigating and not flooding. So, I walk through #1, up through # 2, toss the chickens some sort of little treat, and walk on to the barn.

The hens were congregating by the fence in anticipation.
The “little treats” were becoming somewhat sparse. Most of the plants are gone from the gardens and the Boss has done a wonderful job getting all the weeds out of the hoophouse. So, I veered of the usual path to find some goodies for the hens.

Hey, there are some gnarly old cabbage plants. After the cabbage is cut, a bunch of little leaves will form on the “stump”. These will never form more cabbages, but the chickens enjoy the tender little leaves. Wait a minute…this one’s not so gnarly after all! Further investigation revealed that despite the somewhat ugly outer appearance, there were actually a good number of viable cabbages left in the garden. Sorry, chickens.

I pulled a few spent plants for the hens, and took a couple of nice cabbages to the house, returning later to harvest the rest. Not a huge harvest…but, not bad for being totally unexpected. Sometimes there is a positive outcome to those jobs that somehow never got completed …and just in time for St. Patrick’s Day, too. I dunno…cabbage and Saint Paddy’s…yeah, they just go together.

We will enjoy some Colcannon potatoes for sure…
and maybe use a couple for coleslaw or fried cabbage. …and guess what we will have to offer for the last week of Winter Sales!

Guess there’s something to be said for the unexpected, the break with routine. You never know what you might find.
Perhaps this will lead me to be just a little less predictable. (oh never mind…the hens and ram wouldn’t know what to do!)