Kitchen Garden Forum

Hi everyone. I've been off the Forum for months due to a technical glitch I couldn't resolve. It's good to be back. Thought I would amuse you all with The Great Winter Disaster. Before Christmas I noticed some damage on the kale which I attributed to pigeons, so I draped a net over a frame but foolishly ddn't worry about pinning it down too securely (a few stones, but didn't take too much trouble). Looked again one day in January and there were four pheasents under the net, pecking away at the kale. They've pretty much destroyed the lot. As a result, we've been kale-less and have had to polish off the leeks and parsnips earlier than normal. Another lesson learned...

Ken

Pheasants under the net sounds a good start to roast pheasants

Are you suggesting the first line for a new roast pheasant recipe, Alan? "First, arrange a net loosely over some kale plants". Yo're right, though. If I'd been a bit quicker, or a bit more ruthless...

My wife's uncles farm in Shropshire and neighbour an estate that raises lots of Pheasants. They regularly grow a strip of Kale down a field edge to give the birds some refuge when the neighbours have a shoot. Mind you they only survive a day!

Hi Geoff,
I grow a wide strip of Field Maize for the very same reason.
The only difference is that I do not eat game birds of any description.
After a shoot on the estate behind me there are always a couple of dozen maimed birds that have to be put down if you can catch them.
These I give away.
JB.