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Posted on March 09, 2010

I have been pondering this question for days now. Are chickens, like Sunflower (pictured here), livestock or pets? Until recently, I had not given it much thought. But when suddenly, I had to give my four hens away, I realized just how attached I was too them. This got me to thinking... most governing bodies consider chickens livestock, but I have a hunch that most chicken keepers, with small flocks, think of them as pets.



When I first acquired the girls, as one day old chicks, I did not really think of them as pets. But as they grew, and we became more acquainted, I realized that they each had their own unique personality. For example, Sweet Pea was the first to climb into my hand when I feed them. Rosie would occasionally peck me when I went to pick her up. And Sunflower was the loner in the group.


Since my birds were all the same breed they looked almost identical. And if I had had a large flock I am sure they would have been impossible to tell apart. No one else in the family could tell one from the other. But I spent enough time with them to know that both Rosie (pictured above) and Sweet Pea had dark heads, while Sweet Pea was the only one with no white in her tail feathers. And only Daisy had a feather on her neck with a black streak in it. The differences were subtle, like telling identical twins apart.

I first realized that I was becoming attached to these birds last fall. I was racing the clock to get some plants moved before bad weather set in. Since I was in the garden and could watch them, the girls were out of their run. Every time I stuck a shovel in the ground, they came running, jumped in the hole and started pecking around. They had figured out, that when I dug up soil, I also uncovered worms, grubs, and other delicious treats. I should have confined them, but just like when my kids were toddlers, helping me in the garden, the thrill of being with them was more important than quickly finishing my task.

All this goes to say, these four birds quickly became pets to me. I was just as attached to them as I am to our two cats. Maybe more so, after all my cats never help with the weeding. While the cats do catch the occasional mouse, they don't eat slugs or other garden pests. Not to mention, chicken droppings make wonderful fertilizer, while the stuff left in the cat box has to go to the landfill. Since I had only hens, they made less noise than a dog, and never a sound after dark. And the best part of all, they gave me eggs for breakfast.

I can see how a large flock would be considered livestock, but I think it is different when you only keep a few birds. And why have we elevated cats and dogs above other domesticated animals? So I am wondering, how do others feel about these issues? How many of you, have become attached to an animal that is considered "livestock"? Please share your stories and opinions in the comment section below.

Posted on March 04, 2010

Our maple tree is dead.

The maple who's flaming red leaves,
against the blue autumn sky,
looked so beautiful from the kitchen window.

The maple over who's roots,
I've patiently cultivated a moss garden.

The maple who's canopy
my son played in.

The maple who's branches
my daughter adorned with trinkets.

We loved that tree.
We'll miss that tree.

But from decay comes new life.

I don't want just any life.
I want fungi, Shiitake mushroom fungi.

So I order spawn.
I drill holes in stump and felled logs.
I insert spawn,
cover with wax,
stack logs.

I wait.
For six to nine months, I wait...

COMMENTS

First Flower of 2010

Posted on February 19, 2010

It was 56 and sunny today.

After three snow events that resulted in seven snow days from school, this was a welcome change. So I headed out to prune my fruit trees. On the way I noticed this hellebore blooming.

COMMENTS

Oatmeal Walnut Burgers

Posted on February 02, 2010
My husband loves Garden Burgers. I like the convenience of taking a few patties from the freezer and tossing them on the grill for a quick supper. But I they always seem too processed to me, and who knows how far they traveled to get to my table. So I have been experimenting with all types of burger recipes looking for one we all liked and would hold up to freezing and grilling without falling apart. This recipe, adapted from "The New Laurel’s Kitchen" makes the cut.

burger mixture:
1 cup walnut pieces
1 cup rolled oats
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1/4 cup skim milk
1 small onion, chopped fine
1 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoon nutritional yeast
freshly ground black pepper to taste

for cooking burgers:
oil to brown patties
3 cups beef flavored stock
1 teaspoon vegemite

Coursely grind the walnuts in a food processor. Add the rolled oats a pulse one or two times. Transfer the walnuts and oats to a mixing bowl and combine with the rest of the burger mixture ingredients.

Let the mixture rest in refrigerator for about an hour to let the flavors meld together, and to help the mixture stiffen so that it is easier to work with. Form into patties. You should be able to make 4-6 burgers depending on the size.

Brown patties on both sides in a lightly oiled skillet, then pour the stock into the skillet and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 25 minutes.

COMMENTS

Garden Planning

Posted on January 29, 2010
I just received my first seed order for 2010 from Bakers Creek Heirloom Seeds, currently my favorite seed source. In addition to seeds I ordered this handy garden planner. It charts planting and harvesting for the most popular vegetables according to first and last frost dates. The chart consists of two sliding parts so you can adjust the planting schedule based on your frost free dates.

This year I had decided to be really organized about my planting, maximizing my garden space with succession planting and interplanting. To accomplish this I created a scaled drawing of my garden beds and a chart indicating when to start seeds and when the crops would be finished based on past experience. Then I saw this chart. Since it was only $2.75 I decided to get one, just to see how it compared to what I had done.

I wish I had had this planner years ago. While my charts are a little more fine tuned to my particular growing conditions, and the fact that I use covers and cold frames, Clyde's planner is very handy, especially for anyone new to gardening. You can get one here.

2 COMMENTS

Roasted Sunchokes and Carrots

Posted on January 21, 2010
This summer, I grew Sunchokes for the first time. It was amazing to watch one small tuber rapidly grow to a huge clump of sunflowers that towered over the garden shed. The best part, was knowing that this winter I could eat the fleshy tubers. So I have been experimenting. I sauteed them with mushrooms, made a soup, and last night I roasted them. They were great roasted.

The best place to store sunchokes is in the ground, so have just been digging them as needed.

Sunchokes
Carrots
Garlic cloves, chopped
Fresh Thyme
olive oil
Lemon juice
Salt and pepper

Wash and peel the sunchokes and carrots. Cut into bite size pieces. Place in a roasting pan with garlic and several sprigs of thyme. Drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake at 400 for 30-40 minutes until tender and beginning to brown.

COMMENTS

The Vinegar Project

Posted on January 13, 2010
I must confess that I don't always cook seasonally and locally. This time of year when the garden is almost barren and the stores are full of tropical fruits, I am often seduced by oranges, clementines, grapefruit and pineapples. But to ease my conscience, I only buy Florida oranges and grapefruit and only in the winter, when they are in season. And Florida isn't THAT far from Tennessee.

I recently acquired a copy of Diana Kennedy's book The Art of Mexican Cooking. In it she has a recipe for making pineapple vinegar from the trimmings. Not wanting to waste any part of a pineapple, that had traveled several thousand miles to my table, I decided to try making vinegar from the peal and core.

So I put the peals and core and in the gallon jug along with 1 1/2 quarts water and a heaping 1/4 cup brown sugar. I shook the jug well, covered the spout with a cloth and let it sit. After 4 days a little foam begin to develop on the top. Fermentation had begun. Fermentation will continue for up to 3 weeks, until all the sugar is converted and the liquid becomes acidy. At this point the mother will develop. The mother is a gelatinous disk, that should become quite solid over the next 3 weeks. Once this happens I will strain off the liquid for use.

While I have made vinegar from leftover wine, I have never started it from the raw ingredients. So I am excited to see what happens.

Follow up--This was a disaster. The pineapple rotted. I assume it was because not all of the fruit was below the liquid. That was when I realized how stupid my choice of container was. I still don't know how I will get that pineapple out of the jar so I can recycle the jar. I think I will stick with making vinegar from leftover wine. That is a much simpler process.

COMMENTS

Yellow Lentils

Posted on January 07, 2010
It has been a week now since we have seen temps above freezing. As a result we don't have any fresh veggies from the garden. So now we will be eating more dishes like this.

1 medium onion minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups lentils
5 cups water
1/2 teaspoon whole peppercorns
1/2 teaspoon whole coriander seeds
1/2 teaspoon cardamon seeds, pods removed
1/2 cup dried tomatoes, chopped
2 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon minced ginger
1 teaspoon minced turmeric
2 teaspoons paprika
pinch cinnamon
salt to taste

Saute the onions in the oil until tender. Add the lentils and water. Grind the peppercorns, coriander seeds and cardamon seeds in a spice grinder. Add to the pot along with the rest on the ingredients except salt. Bring to boil and simmer until the lentils fall apart. Salt to taste.

Note: ground coriander loses flavor quickly and purchased ground cardamon often includes the pods. Therefor, I highly recommend grinding these as needed.

2 COMMENTS

Buttercup Squash on Waffles

Posted on December 06, 2009
Winter squash can often be a hard sale at my house, so I was thrilled at how yummy this turned out. I had a little roasted winter squash puree left over from baking Thanksgiving pumpkin pecan pie. Not wanting to waste anything I grow, but knowing the puree would not keep another day, I whipped this up on a busy weekday morning between getting kids off to school. The waffles were left from Sunday morning, so it all came together really fast. I just wish I had remembered to take a photo before we ate it all.


2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 cup squash or pumpkin puree
seeds from 2 cardamon pods, crushed
pinch of cinnamon

In a sauce pan I melted the butter then added everything else and cooked until heated through and thick.

Spread over toast, waffles, croissant...

Note: I hate peeling raw winter squash, so most of the recipes I use call for cooked squash. Here is how I do it. Cut the squash in half and scoop out the seeds and stringy pulp. Lay face down on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake in a 400° oven until tender when pierced with a fork.

1 COMMENTS

Pumpkin Pecan Pie

Posted on November 29, 2009
Every year I try to make my Thanksgiving meal, more seasonal and more local than the year before. I accomplish this in two ways. One, by continuing to grow more and more of the ingredients I need, or by finding local farmers who grow them. The second way is to change what I serve. Since Thanksgiving is a meal full of tradition, this step is harder than trying to grow my own wheat, grinding it into flour, baking it into corn bread to use in my stuffing and pie crusts. Over the years I have found that small adjustments to the meal are the easiest way change my family's expectation for this feast. For example years ago I stopped serving green beans, since they are not in season here in Nashville in late November. Now I serve whatever green thing is abundant in my garden at the time. This year it will be kale.

This year I decided to tinker with dessert. Instead of the Chocolate Nut Pie, I usually serve, I will be making Pumpkin Pecan Pie. I will use a buttercup squash from my garden, which is much more local than chocolate. And the pecans came from Georgia, which is a lot closer to Nashville than California, where the almonds for the Chocolate Nut Pie come from.

Note: While buttercup squash is not a pumpkin, I have found that any winter squash with deep orange flesh works fine in recipes calling for pumpkin.
For filling
1 single pie crust
2 eggs, beaten
3/8 cup brown rice syrup
3/8 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup sugar
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
7/8 cup pecans chopped
1 cup pumpkin

For topping
3/8 cup pecans, finely chopped
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons butter

Line a greased 9 inch pie pan with crust. Combine all filling ingredients except nuts, beat with electric mixed until blended. Stir in pecans. Pour into unbaked pastry shell. Cut butter into brown sugar, add 3/8 cup chopped pecans. Sprinkle over top of pie. Cover edges of crust with foil. Bake at 350° for 60 to 75 minutes, removing foil for the last 10 minutes. Allow to cool completely before serving.

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