And We’re Back

Not that we went anywhere.  But that’s kind of it in a nutshell:  I didn’t feel like I was going anywhere except around in circles.  I realized that every year, every month, like clockwork, my posts and musings were almost identical.  I found that frustrating.  But then I recognized that life is cyclical.  History repeats itself.  Over and over.  But hopefully, you learn from month to month, year to year and appreciate life and nature and the “circle” (ah, Lion King, it all makes sense now) and everything that comes with it.

So my goal for 2012, if not interrupted by Mayan-predicted calamity, is to write and share at least once per week (ok, minimum twice per month) about life, nature, growing, food, animals and anything else that I see fit.

This counts as 1!

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Millie

This is Millie, the birthday goat.  She’s not quite one month old and she has blue eyes just like me.  As you can see, she’s quite the mix!

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Green Eggs and Ham

Please sing along with me…Which of these things are not like the others?102_1445

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After months of waiting and wondering, we finally plucked our first “easter” eggs.  We’ve had a bounty of brown, a few pink, and now finally GREEN!  I was so excited I jumped up and down and screamed like the girl I am!  I’m such a geek.

These easter eggs are compliments of our Ameraucana chickens.  Apparently they have a “blue” gene that makes their eggs come out various shades of green and blue.  It’s just what they do.

And no, they don’t taste different because they’re easter colored.  The only thing that makes a difference in egg taste is what they eat.  Whatever goes in, comes out in the egg (both good and bad).  So technically, you could have slightly herbed or garlicky eggs if you fed them those things.  I’m told our eggs taste better than store-bought and I’m sure it’s because of what we do (and don’t) feed them.

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Chicken Check

I have not eaten any commercially produced chicken product since the line was drawn (in  my mind) in October 2009.  Nothing.  Nada.  Tempted?  No.  The only chicken that has been in my mouth came from our backyard.  Shhh, don’t tell them.  And be careful what you say around Jett!  I have, however, continued to eat commercially produced turkey.  Mmmm, turkey bacon.  Sigh.  I’m sure that pleasure could easily be ruined any day now.

Shrimp is now officially ruined for me.  I love shrimp.  Despite the mercury and other toxins in our local waters, I  continue to eat local and wild (although like everything else, it seems that also has its negatives, but I’ve got to eat something!), but forget anything farm-raised or out of the country.  Did you know the majority of the shrimp sold in the U.S. comes from Asia and Central America?  Next time  you buy shrimp, ask where it came from.  I know, I know…but you might be really surprised by the answer, especially if you live near supposed shrimp territory.  If you want to be totally grossed out by shrimp, lol (but really so not funny), click here.

Hmmm, what’s (left to eat) for dinner?

Categories: Activism, chickens, cooking, diet, food safety, ick!, this sucks! | Leave a comment

Farm update

  • Freezing!  Temperature was 24 degrees.  It actually snowed last Friday night for about 20 minutes.  Everyone inside is bundled in blankets.  Everyone outside is bundled in hay.
  • New Baby goat born on my birthday!  Her name is Millie.  She’s multi-colored.  Photos to come, promise.  She had a twin brother, but he mysteriously disappeared one night.  No sound, no tracks, no signs.  Maybe the Skunk Ape wanted a pet. That’s the best I can hope for.
  • Rooster has finally perfected his crow.  He now officially sounds like a textbook rooster.  We were worried there for a while.
  • Hens are actually still laying eggs.  Have 3 dozen eggs in the fridge right now.  Frittatas (see recipe area) are now a large part of our diet.
  • Ordered new seeds.  This year will focus more on tried and true family favorites and less on “ooh, that looks cool, let’s try that!  That sounds boring, but really, do you know how many types of different beans, melons, tomatoes, etc. there are?  Alot.   Which is cool, but not always successful or tasty or practical.  But believe me, we’ll still have plenty of variety.  I still haven’t even planted all the different types of melon seeds we ordered last year!  Plus since I hurt my shoulder hoeing last October, I want to put all my efforts into more compact garden areas.  I’m worried I’ll re-injure it so the less ground to cover, the better.  HA, right!
  • Have several types of gourds in different stages of drying:  5 dipper gourds, 3 bottle gourds, and 1 medium sized bushel basket gourd.  Considering what I will do with them if they successfully dry.  They’ll definitely be sanded and polished.  But what will they become?  Ah, the possibilities.
Categories: animals, babies, birthday, chickens, farm maintenance, planting, seeds, vegetables, weather | 1 Comment