This is our Ameraucana rooster. He's such a beautiful bird and quite a happy feller with 8 hens to keep him crowing. Several of his hens are also Ameraucana's and I can't wait to see those blue and green eggs!
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
We Have Beans!
This spring I planted some pole beans next to the deck in hopes that the plants would wind their way up the deck sides providing for an easy way to harvest the beans. The plants would also serve as a privacy barrier on the deck. I chose a variety called Kentucky Wonder, which is stringless and has brown seeds. I normally opt for bush beans but I wanted to see how my idea for pole beans would turn out. As the season progressed, extremely high temperatures and a draught assaulted Missouri. I watered my beans faithfully for about a month but the high temperatures made it hard for me to continue in my faithful efforts.
Now that those high temperatures have passed and we have had a few rain showers so I have been planning my fall preparations for my herb beds. I figured I would just be tearing out the beans in an “oh well, better luck next year” frame of mind. Much to my surprise today, I found loads of nice looking green beans on my plants. The foliage is dying back which makes it so much easier to see the bounty these plants have produced to spite the harsh temperatures and lack of water. They aren’t the most glamorous of beans but they are beans :-)
I steamed a batch this evening and ate them plain. They were delicious. However, their being stringless did not happen. Tomorrow I will remove the strings and use a nice Greek recipe I found in my Traditional Greek Cooking book that was given to me by my good friend John. It sounds awesome, however I did change the recipe a bit. I’ll use;
A couple of pounds of beans
½ cup of olive oil
1 pound of tomatoes
1 TBSP tomato paste
a few shallots
2 TBSP chopped parsley
Salt and pepper to taste.
After rinsing and trimming the beans sauté the onions, combine strained tomatoes and tomato paste diluted in 2 cups of water. Bring this to a boil then add the beans. Simmer until all of the liquid is gone and only the oil remains as a sauce.
It’s nice to try new things and I really like the flavor of these pole beans so next year I will give them a place in my new garden. So, the spot I used for these beans this year will once again be used for my herbs.
Friday, September 2, 2011
Getting Ready for Winter
It’s only September but as far as I’m concerned, it’s never too early to get ready for winter. Our 8 chickens recently saw 3 more chickens and 7 guineas move in so the coop needed to be remodeled to accommodate the whole brood comfortably. The coop, by the way, is nestled inside a very roomy aviary and measures 12 ft wide by 4 ft deep by 8 ft tall. The Aviary is 12 ft wide by 24 ft long with a 12 ft ceiling. Our birds have 2 large summer roosts inside the aviary but winter here in Missouri is too cold for those. We installed 3 stair step roosts on one side of the coop and situated it for ease of cleaning and placed a single roost on the opposite side. The single roost is for our original 3 production reds - the queens of the coop. This remodel also allowed room for nesting boxes and even food and water if necessary. Since it completion, all our birds have been roosting at night in the coop and have completely stopped using the summer roosts.
The pictures below are of the aviary and the newly added roosts in the coop.
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| Outside the Aviary and inside the flight run. |
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| Looking into the spacious Aviary. Note the summer roosts on both sides. |
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| Blossom doing her quality inspection. |
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| Chickens and guineas getting comfortable. |
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| Morgan, Harriet and Blossom. The Queens of the Coop. |
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Late Summer 2011
There hasn’t been much going on here at Patchwork Prairie this summer as the unusually intense heat and humidity kept us from achieving many of our goals this year. Therefore, as the heat winds down we will be a blur of activity in our attempt to get all that we wish to achieve for 2011 completed. Thus far, we have gotten all the posts up around the new garden spot and completed the wooden posts and metal gate for the entrance. Next, we will be adding the welded wire fencing to the posts with chicken wire added to the bottom and an electric wire to the top. My woes with gardening in the past-included deer that ate the tops off everything I planted or pulled plants out of the ground, and rabbits that chewed on all my new plants down to nubs. I am determined to eat my own produce next year!
I am so excited about my garden spot for next year. It will consist of raised beds with a thick layer of sawdust in between the beds to prevent weed growth. We should be able to get the sawdust placed and the raised beds made and filled before the first flakes of snow stop our progress. Our land is pretty much void of top soil and this area of the country is clay, so the fill dirt is going to be coming from someplace else and amended with the compost we make every year. We make our rich compost using the waste we get from scooping the poop out of the chicken coop and duck house. We use sawdust for bedding in those areas, and the composted wood and poop combined with grass clippings, tree leaves and produce waste is fantastic for plants. That combination has yielded us fabulous herbs, which thankfully, the deer and rabbits don’t seem to like.
A few weeks ago we replaced a few chickens and added 8 guineas to our stock due to a raccoon raid last month. That raid took 6 of our young chickens. What a horrific disaster that was! It left us with only 8 chickens but thankfully, spared one rooster. Fortunately, the raiders were still in the aviary so Bill was able to permanently stop 2 of the 3 involved. I really don’t believe the one that got away will want to come back any time soon. That afternoon, after he got home from work, Bill did a thorough check to find how they were getting in. We had checked over the aviary in the spring but we didn’t see the holes created by raccoons walking on the top of the flight run. The area where the flight run attaches to the aviary was the location of the holes that allowed the raccoons to enter because the staples had popped out!
Bill now has those areas secured but then we lost one guinea last week. I’ve learned that the critter was either an opossum or a raccoon as it found an area where the chicken wire had come loose from the fencing at the ground, and took it right through the fence. Now we have those areas are more secure. We have never had much of a predator problem until this year. Those buggers are teaching us a lot related to just how cunning they are. I believe the extremely hot and dry weather we’ve been experiencing this summer is affecting the natural prey the raccoons and opossums normally eat so they are concentrating their efforts in getting to our birds. And naturally, we are learning from them and concentrating our efforts in keeping them OUT! Next year I want loads of produce to eat and can as well as loads of eggs and baby chickens to sell. It’s been a struggle this year but next year our Patchwork Prairie could actually begin to pay for itself.
Jetta
I am so excited about my garden spot for next year. It will consist of raised beds with a thick layer of sawdust in between the beds to prevent weed growth. We should be able to get the sawdust placed and the raised beds made and filled before the first flakes of snow stop our progress. Our land is pretty much void of top soil and this area of the country is clay, so the fill dirt is going to be coming from someplace else and amended with the compost we make every year. We make our rich compost using the waste we get from scooping the poop out of the chicken coop and duck house. We use sawdust for bedding in those areas, and the composted wood and poop combined with grass clippings, tree leaves and produce waste is fantastic for plants. That combination has yielded us fabulous herbs, which thankfully, the deer and rabbits don’t seem to like.
A few weeks ago we replaced a few chickens and added 8 guineas to our stock due to a raccoon raid last month. That raid took 6 of our young chickens. What a horrific disaster that was! It left us with only 8 chickens but thankfully, spared one rooster. Fortunately, the raiders were still in the aviary so Bill was able to permanently stop 2 of the 3 involved. I really don’t believe the one that got away will want to come back any time soon. That afternoon, after he got home from work, Bill did a thorough check to find how they were getting in. We had checked over the aviary in the spring but we didn’t see the holes created by raccoons walking on the top of the flight run. The area where the flight run attaches to the aviary was the location of the holes that allowed the raccoons to enter because the staples had popped out!
Bill now has those areas secured but then we lost one guinea last week. I’ve learned that the critter was either an opossum or a raccoon as it found an area where the chicken wire had come loose from the fencing at the ground, and took it right through the fence. Now we have those areas are more secure. We have never had much of a predator problem until this year. Those buggers are teaching us a lot related to just how cunning they are. I believe the extremely hot and dry weather we’ve been experiencing this summer is affecting the natural prey the raccoons and opossums normally eat so they are concentrating their efforts in getting to our birds. And naturally, we are learning from them and concentrating our efforts in keeping them OUT! Next year I want loads of produce to eat and can as well as loads of eggs and baby chickens to sell. It’s been a struggle this year but next year our Patchwork Prairie could actually begin to pay for itself.
Jetta
Saturday, July 30, 2011
It is too hot to cook!
Why heat up the kitchen and the rest of the house when the heat index is in the triple digits here in Missouri? This evening instead of eating another salad or a cold sandwich, I prepared a delightful dish of raw spaghetti with raw marinara sauce. No really, it is very good and very nutritious since it’s not cooked. Plus, it’s extremely fast and easy to make. Here’s how it is done. You take;
½ cup tomato, chopped
½ cup sun dried tomatoes soaked for 30 minutes or you can use oil packed.
½ of a red or yellow bell pepper
1 tbsp fresh minced basil, if you have it
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 small garlic clove or less depending on the individual, minced or crushed in a garlic press.
1 pitted date
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Dash of salt, pepper and cayenne pepper
Mix all ingredients in a food processor fitted with an S blade until the mixture is blended thoroughly. You may need to scrape the contents off the side of the processor with a plastic spatula a few times. I let this sit for about 30 minutes so it can come to room temperature and so all the flavors have a chance to blossom. See, easy peasy!
Then place about 3 inches of a medium zucchini or yellow squash on the plate of a spiral slicer and spiral away. You can also use a peeler and make lots of thicker fettuccine type pasta. Place the vegetable pasta on a plate and top with the marinara from the food processor. I top that with parmesan cheese and devour it with great pleasure. This can be served alone or with a side salad. Sometimes I soak ½ cup walnuts for a few hours and add that to the marinara for a more meaty texture. This sauce will keep for a few days in the fridge if needed. I rarely have any left over to store. Give it a try and leave a comment about how you like it.
½ cup tomato, chopped
½ cup sun dried tomatoes soaked for 30 minutes or you can use oil packed.
½ of a red or yellow bell pepper
1 tbsp fresh minced basil, if you have it
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 small garlic clove or less depending on the individual, minced or crushed in a garlic press.
1 pitted date
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Dash of salt, pepper and cayenne pepper
Mix all ingredients in a food processor fitted with an S blade until the mixture is blended thoroughly. You may need to scrape the contents off the side of the processor with a plastic spatula a few times. I let this sit for about 30 minutes so it can come to room temperature and so all the flavors have a chance to blossom. See, easy peasy!
Then place about 3 inches of a medium zucchini or yellow squash on the plate of a spiral slicer and spiral away. You can also use a peeler and make lots of thicker fettuccine type pasta. Place the vegetable pasta on a plate and top with the marinara from the food processor. I top that with parmesan cheese and devour it with great pleasure. This can be served alone or with a side salad. Sometimes I soak ½ cup walnuts for a few hours and add that to the marinara for a more meaty texture. This sauce will keep for a few days in the fridge if needed. I rarely have any left over to store. Give it a try and leave a comment about how you like it.
Cat Rescue..... again!
A couple of months ago I saw a beautiful and well-developed adult tortoise shell type calico cat walking across our backyard. When I opened the sliding glass door to get a better look, she ran like the wind and I never saw her again. Until a few weeks ago when she appeared on our deck, looking quite emaciated with a large patch of hairless skin on the back of her neck. I sneaked around the back and took a small bowl of dry food to the deck and rattled it to get her attention. She was panting and looked very weak but got up so fast she startled me. She ate all we gave her and drank a good amount of water as well. As she ate, we got a good look at her. Given her emaciated state, we decided she had been either dumped or possibly abandoned. We knew of a family up the road that recently left the area. In addition, that large patch of bare of skin on the back of her neck, well of course, it was full of ticks.
The weather in Missouri has been wickedly hot and humid this summer and in her condition, we knew she would not last much longer on her own. We gave her for all the food and water she wanted that day and continued on day 2. She slept under the deck but came out quickly when we called to her from the patio. She was weak but still had a loud purr and definitely used it to her advantage. We also found that when she meow’s she does a cute two-part meow that really sounds like she’s saying “hell llo”. Later on day 2, we carefully removed all her 30+ ticks from the back of her neck and one toe. I then applied some antibiotic ointment to help heal and soothe those tick bitten areas. We checked carefully for fleas but amazingly, she had none!
Still unsure what to do with this gal, we continued to care for her, but outside since we have 4 cats in the house. On day 3, she was looking weaker and pretty heat stressed so we decided to bring her into the house and close her in the office in order to keep her segregated. She rested on the floor for 2 days getting up only to eat, drink or use her litter box. I watched for signs of disease like diarrhea, sneezing, runny nose, coughing, gait, eye changes and so forth, but nothing appeared. By now, she had won our hearts and we decided she could stay but as an outside cat after she was healed. On day 5, we took her to our Veterinarian in Columbia. She received a general health exam, rabies injection, worming, an antibiotic injection and blood tests for all the bad stuff cats can get like FELV, FIV and heartworm. So now, we need a name for this gal. After a lengthy search on the internet for ideas, I came up with a few names that I liked and ran them by Bill. We both decided we liked Aurora since she has so many colors on her coat.
After she passed her quarantine period, we began introducing Aurora to our cats since she is still recovering from her emaciated state, still in the house and the weather continues to be so wickedly hot that she cannot be outside in her condition. Aurora initially flunked house cat 101 by being snarly to our cats for days on end and her incessant desire to be on our kitchen counters. My bet is that she was an only cat and perhaps even abused as she has an aggressive response to feet if they pass her to fast. After a few weeks and much tolerance from Bill, my cats, and me, Aurora is finally beginning to settle into our house routine. Aurora has her issues and she still has a lot of healing, both physical and psychological, in her future but unless we are able to find someone that is willing to take a very pretty cat that has issues, she is welcome to stay with us either indoor or outside, for the remainder of her days.
We didn’t take any pictures of Aurora in her worst condition. However, this is how she is looking 3 weeks into her recovery.
The weather in Missouri has been wickedly hot and humid this summer and in her condition, we knew she would not last much longer on her own. We gave her for all the food and water she wanted that day and continued on day 2. She slept under the deck but came out quickly when we called to her from the patio. She was weak but still had a loud purr and definitely used it to her advantage. We also found that when she meow’s she does a cute two-part meow that really sounds like she’s saying “hell llo”. Later on day 2, we carefully removed all her 30+ ticks from the back of her neck and one toe. I then applied some antibiotic ointment to help heal and soothe those tick bitten areas. We checked carefully for fleas but amazingly, she had none!
Still unsure what to do with this gal, we continued to care for her, but outside since we have 4 cats in the house. On day 3, she was looking weaker and pretty heat stressed so we decided to bring her into the house and close her in the office in order to keep her segregated. She rested on the floor for 2 days getting up only to eat, drink or use her litter box. I watched for signs of disease like diarrhea, sneezing, runny nose, coughing, gait, eye changes and so forth, but nothing appeared. By now, she had won our hearts and we decided she could stay but as an outside cat after she was healed. On day 5, we took her to our Veterinarian in Columbia. She received a general health exam, rabies injection, worming, an antibiotic injection and blood tests for all the bad stuff cats can get like FELV, FIV and heartworm. So now, we need a name for this gal. After a lengthy search on the internet for ideas, I came up with a few names that I liked and ran them by Bill. We both decided we liked Aurora since she has so many colors on her coat.
After she passed her quarantine period, we began introducing Aurora to our cats since she is still recovering from her emaciated state, still in the house and the weather continues to be so wickedly hot that she cannot be outside in her condition. Aurora initially flunked house cat 101 by being snarly to our cats for days on end and her incessant desire to be on our kitchen counters. My bet is that she was an only cat and perhaps even abused as she has an aggressive response to feet if they pass her to fast. After a few weeks and much tolerance from Bill, my cats, and me, Aurora is finally beginning to settle into our house routine. Aurora has her issues and she still has a lot of healing, both physical and psychological, in her future but unless we are able to find someone that is willing to take a very pretty cat that has issues, she is welcome to stay with us either indoor or outside, for the remainder of her days.
We didn’t take any pictures of Aurora in her worst condition. However, this is how she is looking 3 weeks into her recovery.
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Green Smoothies for Life
I can’t remember how far back it was when I first began hearing about green smoothies, perhaps back in the ‘70’s, I believe the focus at that time was as a method of weight loss. I never paid any attention to the information, because I have never been overweight. A few years ago, I began hearing about green smoothies again but this time the focus was on the nutritional benefits of the raw ingredients included in them. This time I took notice, because I am always interested in learning more about nutrition. Today with the internet, we have a huge database for learning about nutrition, so I began reading about green smoothies on my own. There is an abundance of information on the Raw Food movement if you are interested and the USDA has a site that also gives everyone information related to the nutritional content of the “raw” fruits and vegetables you decide to include into your smoothies. I’ll post a link at the end of this blog post.
Recently, I’d grown so tired of eating a cooked or cereal breakfast that I began experimenting with making green smoothies. Just a basic recipe like the one below which was all it took for me and now I’m hooked! For me, green smoothies have become a great way to include more fresh and nutritious fruits and vegetables into my diet since I have a busy schedule. Now I can get 2 vegetables and at least 2 fruits consumed in a delicious smoothie, which makes it so much easier for me to get my daily 5 vegetables which is needed according to the most recent nutrition trends. After drinking these green smoothies for a couple of weeks, I realized that I had more energy and felt more alert. Then it dawned on me, that the difference was that I was actually eating real food and not my previously overly processed or sugar laced mush.
Today my smoothie was my Basic Smoothie Recipe
• a good handful of raw spinach,
• ½ raw zucchini
• one small peeled apple,
• one banana,
• 1 cup coconut milk,
• as well as about 3 tablespoons raw Chia gel and 2 tablespoons raw hemp seed protein powder.
Chia gel is another way to supplement my diet with vitamins and minerals in a natural way and Chia seeds are known to be an appetite suppressant so I feel satiated longer into my morning – I’ll post the easy recipe and information link at the end of this blog post. My smoothies are not 100% raw but that isn’t my focus either. I want as much nutrition as I can get in a low processed smoothie that I can drink while I’m getting ready for work. My morning smoothies are loaded with vitamins and minerals, taste great and make me feel wonderful. Later in the summer, I’ll add some information related to some wonderful herbs you can add for the benefit of immune system nourishment as well. That will be a whole blog post in itself.
Since variety is the spice of life, I also use watermelon, cantaloupe, peas, a carrot, kale, dandelions greens, collard greens, spring lambs quarter shoots, cucumber, yellow squash, grapes, blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, papaya, mango, orange or red bell pepper, corn, shitake mushroom, nectarine, and alfalfa sprouts. The selections are vast; however, I don’t have access to as much as some folks do that live in more temperate climates. The key for me is to use only four items excluding the liquid, otherwise my smoothie is either too thick or the quantity is more than I can consume in the morning.
I’m very aware of a growing debate over Raw vs Cooked vegetables and fruits, and the final decision lies with the consumer. In my research, I have found that there are nutritional benefits to both raw and cooked vegetables however; in some cases, the difference is minor. The key I believe is in moderation. In addition to a lot of raw fruits and vegetables, I also eat cooked (steamed) vegetables and I believe I am getting the best from my foods that my body can receive. Another interesting tidbit that I’ll include is that science has found that cooked foods actually acidify your body and, that acidic environment has been linked to cancer related ailments. Well if raw fruits and vegetables alkalize your body, then I am all for eating more alkalizing foods so I can decrease my chances of my developing cancer. With the growing disease and obesity rate in the US, it is prudent that we all become more aware of our food choices and make healthier decisions.
Jetta
You may want to visit this site to help determine which fruits and vegetables you wish to include in your smoothies.
http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2384/2
Ex: Carrots have much more nutrition raw than cooked per this “Self Nutrition Data- know what you eat” web site. The calcium data in cooked is 2.9 mg as opposed to 42.2 mg in raw. Apples in the raw have 5.5 mg of calcium and boiled have 8.6mg.
Moutain Rose Herbs has some wonderful products and loads of information as well. For information on Chia Seeds and the recipe for Chia gel follow this link please. http://www.mountainroseherbs.com/learn/chiaseed.php
I grind mine up then make the gel. Try it both ways to find the way you like it best.
Recently, I’d grown so tired of eating a cooked or cereal breakfast that I began experimenting with making green smoothies. Just a basic recipe like the one below which was all it took for me and now I’m hooked! For me, green smoothies have become a great way to include more fresh and nutritious fruits and vegetables into my diet since I have a busy schedule. Now I can get 2 vegetables and at least 2 fruits consumed in a delicious smoothie, which makes it so much easier for me to get my daily 5 vegetables which is needed according to the most recent nutrition trends. After drinking these green smoothies for a couple of weeks, I realized that I had more energy and felt more alert. Then it dawned on me, that the difference was that I was actually eating real food and not my previously overly processed or sugar laced mush.
Today my smoothie was my Basic Smoothie Recipe
• a good handful of raw spinach,
• ½ raw zucchini
• one small peeled apple,
• one banana,
• 1 cup coconut milk,
• as well as about 3 tablespoons raw Chia gel and 2 tablespoons raw hemp seed protein powder.
Chia gel is another way to supplement my diet with vitamins and minerals in a natural way and Chia seeds are known to be an appetite suppressant so I feel satiated longer into my morning – I’ll post the easy recipe and information link at the end of this blog post. My smoothies are not 100% raw but that isn’t my focus either. I want as much nutrition as I can get in a low processed smoothie that I can drink while I’m getting ready for work. My morning smoothies are loaded with vitamins and minerals, taste great and make me feel wonderful. Later in the summer, I’ll add some information related to some wonderful herbs you can add for the benefit of immune system nourishment as well. That will be a whole blog post in itself.
Since variety is the spice of life, I also use watermelon, cantaloupe, peas, a carrot, kale, dandelions greens, collard greens, spring lambs quarter shoots, cucumber, yellow squash, grapes, blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, papaya, mango, orange or red bell pepper, corn, shitake mushroom, nectarine, and alfalfa sprouts. The selections are vast; however, I don’t have access to as much as some folks do that live in more temperate climates. The key for me is to use only four items excluding the liquid, otherwise my smoothie is either too thick or the quantity is more than I can consume in the morning.
I’m very aware of a growing debate over Raw vs Cooked vegetables and fruits, and the final decision lies with the consumer. In my research, I have found that there are nutritional benefits to both raw and cooked vegetables however; in some cases, the difference is minor. The key I believe is in moderation. In addition to a lot of raw fruits and vegetables, I also eat cooked (steamed) vegetables and I believe I am getting the best from my foods that my body can receive. Another interesting tidbit that I’ll include is that science has found that cooked foods actually acidify your body and, that acidic environment has been linked to cancer related ailments. Well if raw fruits and vegetables alkalize your body, then I am all for eating more alkalizing foods so I can decrease my chances of my developing cancer. With the growing disease and obesity rate in the US, it is prudent that we all become more aware of our food choices and make healthier decisions.
Jetta
You may want to visit this site to help determine which fruits and vegetables you wish to include in your smoothies.
http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2384/2
Ex: Carrots have much more nutrition raw than cooked per this “Self Nutrition Data- know what you eat” web site. The calcium data in cooked is 2.9 mg as opposed to 42.2 mg in raw. Apples in the raw have 5.5 mg of calcium and boiled have 8.6mg.
Moutain Rose Herbs has some wonderful products and loads of information as well. For information on Chia Seeds and the recipe for Chia gel follow this link please. http://www.mountainroseherbs.com/learn/chiaseed.php
I grind mine up then make the gel. Try it both ways to find the way you like it best.
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