Of City Water and Sweet Potatoes

I have two types of sweet potatoes this year, Beauregard and Vardaman. I didn't plan on two kinds, but I have them due to something I might not have figured out if it hadn't been for a spontaneous trip to the feed store.

Early last spring I took a couple of nice looking sweets from last year's stored crop and popped them into wide mouth pint canning jars. I filled the jars with tap water and waited. Like other sweet potato gardeners, I planned to pull off the sprouts and root them in another jar of water for my homemade slips. I waited. And waited. And waited, but they wouldn't sprout. I changed out the water regularly but they just rotted in the jars. Very puzzling! It was so disappointing to think we'd have no sweet potatoes this year: no baked sweets with butter and cinnamon, no sweet potato french fries, no roasted veggies with sweets, no sweet potato honey pie!

Some weeks later I was on my way to town and happened to notice the sign at the feed store, "We have sweet potatoes." Considering the time of year that could mean only one thing, slips for planting. I pulled in and bought a bunch containing two dozen Beauregard sweet potato slips. I happened to mention why I was buying them, and the gentleman said he'd had another customer who had the same problem. Hmm.

Beauregard sweets. They produce long vines and sprawl everywhere.
During our 2-month dry spell, they wilted eventually, even with mulch. 

It immediately made me wonder if she had tried to sprout her sweet potatoes in city water too. Ours is so strong with chlorine that it's hard to take the smell that comes out of the tap. It's why we got our water filter. I went home, put two more of my stored sweet potatoes in filtered water, and sure enough. I finally got my slips!

My Vardamans are smaller because they were later going in. I like
this variety because they have excellent flavor and store well. They have
also tolerated the dryness better than the Beauregards from the feed store. 

So we'll have plenty of sweet potatoes to enjoy this winter. The goats love them too; I chop them up daily and add them to their feed. So glad I figured this out. Unfortunately we still use this water for backup irrigation (should we run out of rainwater), and for the animals. Needless to say, some serious discussion is going on about this.

Of City Water and Sweet Potatoes © August 2014
by Leigh at http://www.5acresandadream.com/

Rules With An Iron Claw

Dan calls him “The Sultan” because he keeps his little harem of Buff Orpingtons in check. He's the third reigning rooster we've had and it's interesting how different the three have been. They've all done what roosters do, but not exactly the same way.

The Sultan, our current rooster, a Silver Laced Wyandotte

Our 1st rooster Lord B, a Barred Holland

Our first rooster was a Barred Holland. I called him Lord Barred Holland (or Lord B) because of his lordly manner; Dan called him B. He was almost perfect: always watchful, always on the alert, deferential toward his hens, and non-aggressive toward humans. At least that was initially the case. As he got older he did show some signs of aggression toward us (a big no-no and absolutely not allowed). His biggest fault, however, was that he was entirely intolerant of new additions to the flock, pullets as well as cockerels. After killing one, he had to go.

Our 2nd rooster Cowboy, a Buff Orpington

Our second rooster was a Buff Orpington. We named him Cowboy because of his approach toward his hens. Rather than do a courtship dance to get their attention as Lord B had done, Cowboy would puff out his chest and wings, then charge the hens, and grab on like a rodeo rider. Cowboy did not have all the natural roostering qualities. My oldest Barred Holland hen had to teach him that any goodies he found were for the hens, not himself. I don't know how many times she had to rush in and gobble down his food-finds until he learned to simply announce them and step back to let the girls enjoy. But he did catch on.

Last year Dan became interested in Silver Laced Wyandottes so we decided to give this breed a try. Of our three SLW cockerels, The Sultan was the last one left after the elimination process. When he first realized he was the only roo, he chased down each of the hens in turn and simply stood on top of her. Eventually it got to the point where any time he approached a hen, she would hunker down in obedience before he could grab her. This is mostly true of the Buffs. The Wyandotte and Speckled Sussex hens have minds of their own. They go where they please and as fast as they can if The Sultan in on their tail. But the Buffs can almost always be found in a cluster with The Sultan standing tall and proud in their midst.

We have mostly Buff Orpingtons, with 3 SLW hens & 3 Speckled Sussex

To his credit, he respects the humans and keeps out of the way. He is very alert and very quick to round up all the hens if he hears a hawk or one flies overhead. Because he rules with an iron claw, they heed and obey. I've not lost a chicken to hawks so far this year.

The other really nice quality about this rooster is that he does not bother the chicks. Lord B was aggressively intolerant of new chicks, while Cowboy would simply take pleasure in tormenting them. He loved to sneak up from behind and grab a beakful of feathers. He would proudly parade these around while the youngster ran squawking. The Sultan, however, doesn't seem to take notice of them and leaves them alone. That's a huge plus in my book and he may have a longer career on the homestead than the others.

Rooster tales, anyone? I'd love to hear your stories about your roosters.

Rules With An Iron Claw © August 2014 by
Leigh at http://www.5acresandadream.com/

The Long Awaited Much Anticipated Mrs. Pig

May I introduce

Polly

Polly is a two month old registered American Guinea Hog and Waldo's bride-to-be. Polly and Waldo are our foundation breeding stock, destined, through their progeny, to provide us with bacon, sausage, pork, lard, and more pigs. An added bonus is that they are natural tillers of the soil.

She's shy and a bit skittish, but has been exploring her new home.

Gruffy: "Oh no, not another one"

I put Polly in the buck pasture with Gruffy to start. Waldo remains in the front pasture with Caleb and Splash. My original idea for separation was to let Polly and Waldo meet through the fence and get used to one another. Her breeder recommended not letting them together until Polly is 8 months old. She based that on personal experience, having had a young pig get bred at too an earlier age which in turn stunted her growth.

What does Waldo think?

Polly on this side of the fence, Waldo on the other. 

Meh. They sniff on occasion through the fence but then it's pig business at usual, which means rooting around, grazing, and otherwise finding things to eat. I imagine that will change as they both mature a bit.

The Long Awaited Much Anticipated Mrs. Pig ©
August 2014 by Leigh at http://www.5acresandadream.com/