fuzzi's Chicken Journal

[Mother of Chaos]

I am in the southern USA in eastern NC.
In the small grocery store I usually shop in I see very little kale. I mostly see mustards and collards. Sometimes I see a bagged variety of kale that appears to be white Russian.
In the chain grocery stores I've also noticed some curly types.

In the past I planted some white and red Russian. DH and I found out we prefer the mustards. So I continued to plant mustards, collards and cabbage each year.

Maybe this is because neither of us ate much kale growing up???

I admit to being a terrible person - I don’t like kale or other greens (I do love spinach.) My mother forced me to eat turnip greens weekly when I was a kid; ugh. I didn’t encounter kale until I was an adult; felt like I was chewing on steel wool. Collards squeak when I chew them.

I thought the chickens were following in my path, rejecting kale and collards. But I brought home a bunch of turnip greens a few days ago, and they went nuts! Maybe they’re just desperate for anything green in winter, but I’ll be planting some for them next year.

 

[fuzzi]

I planted arugula this fall. I did not care for it. The chickens ate it, but not with the enthusiasm they exhibit towards collards. Or turnip greens.

I have been planting purple top turnips for about three years. I like both the greens and roots, mild, not bitter.

I tried growing two additional turnip varieties this year. One was a white turnip of Japanese origins (Miyama Wase Kokabu) which I loved, both the greens and root were tender and tasty. The yellow turnip (Aji Kogane) didn't impress me, greens were bitter. I planted a couple beds of turnips this fall, but not the yellow variety.

 

[fuzzi]

Speckled Sussex eating cabbage greens

That's Zaccheus with Joanna and Rahab. Pullet behind him is Lois. She's got a lot of white for a 5 month old.

Roo in the middle is Jacob, hatched in July. He's turned out handsome. His sister Claudia is on his right, she's nice and dark. Joanna is on the left, almost done with her molt. I believe Priscilla is in front, older Hannah on the right.

Coop Deux

Silas, the Dominiques Naomi (left) and Abigail (right), and the OEGB pullets. The one that is laying is Dinah, to the right of Silas.

And poor molting Esther...I gave her a collard leaf of her own.

 

[fuzzi]

And why I have been rather busy...

I brought Caleb home the same day I retired. He is about a year old, and is a lot of work, needs attention and training.

 

[Debbie292d]

I planted arugula this fall. I did not care for it. The chickens ate it, but not with the enthusiasm they exhibit towards collards. Or turnip greens.

I have been planting purple top turnips for about three years. I like both the greens and roots, mild, not bitter.

I tried growing two additional turnip varieties this year. One was a white turnip of Japanese origins (Miyama Wase Kokabu) which I loved, both the greens and root were tender and tasty. The yellow turnip (Aji Kogane) didn't impress me, greens were bitter. I planted a couple beds of turnips this fall, but not the yellow variety.

I haven't been on your thread in ages, Fuzzi, so sorry about that.

Have you ever tried Kale? These silkies go nuts for it. You'd have to do your brick trick with it so they can rip hunks off the leaves. We've tied it in the coop too, but I like your brick idea better.

 

[fuzzi]

I haven't been on your thread in ages, Fuzzi, so sorry about that.

Have you ever tried Kale? These silkies go nuts for it. You'd have to do your brick trick with it so they can rip hunks off the leaves. We've tied it in the coop too, but I like your brick idea better.

I have tried eating kale that I bought at the grocery store, but I did not care for it. I planted the arugula to see if I liked it. Nope.

Thanks for stopping by.

 

[Debbie292d]

I have tried eating kale that I bought at the grocery store, but I did not care for it. I planted the arugula to see if I liked it. Nope.

Thanks for stopping by.

We just plant it for the chickens. We don't like it either.

 

[fuzzi]

I admit to being a terrible person - I don’t like kale or other greens (I do love spinach.) My mother forced me to eat turnip greens weekly when I was a kid; ugh. I didn’t encounter kale until I was an adult; felt like I was chewing on steel wool. Collards squeak when I chew them.

Just noticed your reference to collards squeaking. That means they're not done. I cook them as I was shown by a NC native, which is remove the ribs, and cook them until tender, not quite to the mush stage. Then you chop them. You should also have a ham bone or other type of pork in the water as you cook the collard leaves.

 

[fuzzi]

We just plant it for the chickens. We don't like it either.

Mine adore carrot tops.

 

[Debbie292d]

Mine adore carrot tops.

I don't recall ours having them. When they found an opening in the chicken wire around the garden a couple of summers ago, they mowed the kale down and picked at every tomato they could reach.