Tastes of life

Never too many eggs.

Jackie — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 12:38:10 +0000

It is the time of year when hopefully egg production from your lovely chickens improves and you look at the egg rack and think “I feel a recipe is needed” so here are a few recipes to use up that glut . Also eggs can be frozen for later use.

Freezing eggs.

To freeze whole eggs, break them into a bowl and beat a little to blend. Tip
into a freezer bag or airtight plastic container and use within three months -
freeze them in small batches, as these will be most useful, and be sure to label
the number of eggs that go into each freezer bag. Whites and yolks can also be
frozen separately. Egg whites just need tipping into freezer bags, whereas egg
yolks need a pinch of salt or sugar beaten in (depending on whether they’ll be
used for sweet or savoury dishes later). This will stop them from thickening too
much upon freezing. Defrost frozen eggs in the fridge overnight and use them
straightaway

Mayonnaise

Makes 10 fl oz /375ml

2 Large egg yolks or 3 smaller

1 teaspoon mustard powder

1 level teaspoon salt

freshly ground black pepper

10fl oz ground nut oil (or vegetable oil not olive oil)

a few drops of white wine vinegar.

Method

Begin by putting the egg yolks into a large bowl adding the salt, pepper and mustard powder and mix all together.

Drop one drop of oil into the egg mixture at a time whisking as you go and taking it really slowly .It is going to take a few minutes but is worth it .When the mixture starts to thicken you can add the oil a bit faster until all the oil is mixed …When the mixture has started to thicken the crucial bit is over.Add the vinegar and adjust your seasoning if needed.

Curdling occurs if you add to much oil at the beginning ,not the end of the world if this happens .

* For light mayo simply substitute egg whites for some of the egg yolks.

Saving your Mayo.

Put a fresh egg yolk into a clean basin add the curdled mixture to that a drop at a time ,then carry on with the remainder of the oil as if nothing had happened .

Low fat Mayo

In a mixing bowl ,whisk 150g fromage frais (o% fat) with 1 egg yolk , 1tsp strong dijon mustard and 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar or lemon juice until completly smooth.Season with salt and pepper to taste. You can add a few chopped chives ,mint or tarragon just before serving.

Storing your lovely Mayo.

Mayonnaise should be stored in a screw top jar in a cool place ,the bottom of the fridge for about a week.

Lemon curd

Makes 550g

200g Butter, diced

200g caster sugar

grated zest and juice of 3 lemons

4 egg yolks

Method

Put the butter , sugar,lemon zest and juice into a heat proof bowl.Stand the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water ..Making sure the base of the bowl is not in contact with the water… The butter will begin to melt in a few minutes .Whisk the mixture until it is completely smooth.

Add the egg yolks and whisk vigorously for about 10 minutes until the mixture begins to thicken .Pour the lemon curd into a jar and leave in the fridge.

Serve this lovely lemon curd straight from the jar onto hot buttered toast.

*For orange curd , substitute the lemons for 2 oranges and boil the juice to reduce by one-third before you start.

Meringues

If you have made either the mayo or the lemon curd you will have left over egg whites .Here is a recipe for meringue .

3 large egg whites

6oz (175 g ) caster sugar

Method

light oven to gas mark 2 (300 degrees F )

Place the egg whites into a large very clean bowl and whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks and you can turn the bowl upside down with out them sliding out.When they are ready start to whisk in the sugar about 1 oz (25 g) at a time whisking after each addition until all the sugar is in .

Line a baking sheet with grease proof paper and put large spoonfuls at a time on to baking sheet . Now place baking sheet into oven turning the gas down to number 1 (275 f ) and leave to cook for 1 hour . Turn the heat right off but leave the meringues inside the oven until it is completely cold.

You can then sandwich together if liked with cream or even lemon curd.

Chickens and Stress.

Jackie — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 09:25:17 +0000

After losing one of our girls Poppy we introduced two new chickens to my existing two I have come to the conclusion which others probably already knew…Chickens suffer from stress like us.

The introductions went well with hardly any weeping and wailing or gnashing of beaks but little Rosie bottom of the pecking order before was not amused .She did not want to be bottom of the flock any more and wanted to go up a notch.

Before the introductions she was a lovely little hen that although smaller than she was as good as gold doing as she was told by the others.Her eggs were smaller than the others but perfectly formed and the shells were a lovely brown with little freckles on the end.

The day after the introductions she laid her egg as usual but it looked different pale in colour and very rough to the touch.A few days after a soft egg appeared and clover had yolk around her beak after eating a hearty breakfast .I was giving lime stone flour and cod liver oil to strengthen the shells but nothing.On and on it went with either no eggs ,soft eggs or broken eggs .During this time I would have laid a bet on if she would survive or not ,moping ,head in her neck .

Suddenly one day all chickens mixed together ,they all decided to sleep together and Rosie did not go down the pecking order and the eggs since have been perfect , dark brown and freckly…Rosie doing chickeny things with all the others in one gang .

The second example is my friend who has some lovely girls who all get on really well but she lost one girl Treacle and the others have taken a long time to get over the loss. They have lived together for a year or so with not a problem but suddenly two of them are getting pecked and feathers being drawn so badly that they have bare bums and necks.Everything has been tried even anti pecking spray and it is still happening . I think given time fingers crossed although this has become a habit it will pass just like it has with Rosie.

If you ask people that have hens they say that both mine and her case is down to lack of protein and boredom etc., but nobody has mentioned stress. In both cases each little flock has lost a friend and I do believe that stress is the main reason for these happenings and that chickens are more like us than we think .

Introductions of new chicks.

Jackie — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 08:31:15 +0000

I can’t believe how successful so far this has been.It has been 5 weeks since we introduced 2 new girls Bonnie and Annie to our little group joining Clover and Rosie.After losing Poppy we decided to add the 2 new girls and expected as usual some stress with weeping and wailing from the old girls and a bit of pecking and shoving but we have had hardly none.

The WIR we have is separated into two with two coups while intros are going on with a hatch that is raised permanently in the end ,it is not state of the art but it suits our small garden and the girls are not fussy.

We then kept the new girls separate for a week with out free ranging at all and not mixing , they could see each other all the time . .Little Rosie was a bit suspect at first as she did not want to be bottom of the pecking order again but it was all very calm .

After the first week we let them FR together for half an hour at a time with plenty of space for the newbies to escape if needed. Annie was really quick on her feet and would jump on to any bench she could find but soon calmed down.She also chased off any garden birds she saw ..just a pity she did not chase of the pigeons!

The second week we raised the hatch so that they could all mix into one run but the hatch could be brought down if needed but we did not need to at all.The first couple of weeks they were in separate coups at night and then last week little Annie was brave and decided to join the oldies ,Bonnie was the last and joined them last week .

They are both laying now and Annie lays in one coup and Bonnie in the other .They are all the best of friends and Clover is still top chick and keeps the others under control and I think little Annie is bottom .

The one thing we did have a problem with was that little Rosie one of the old girls her eggs the shells were very weak and easily broke .many times she sat on them in the nest box and they broke,along came Clover and ate them!! I can’t put this down to the new girls arriving but it started the day after so I think it was stress and it was her way of showing it.I gave her Limestone flour which you can buy on line and cod liver oil to improve her calcium and after 4 weeks they are back to normal.

It is so nice now that the days are getting longer and they have more time out of the coup .I don’t like them spending more hours in than out .

Here is Annie the Black star and Bonnie Gold star

Clover the old girl and top chick . .

Rosie the old baby girl

Beetroot facts and recipes.

Jackie — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 15:56:26 +0000

For a while now I have been using the beetroot up from the freezer and what a stunning vegetable it is ! You can now grow yellow,stripy pink and the original red although you hardly find any of these in a supermarket.1. Not only is it full of iron but is supposed to be a hangover cure Beta cyanin, the pigment that gives
beetroot its colour, is an antioxidant so the humble beetroot could be
the key to beating your hangover! Beta cyanin speeds up detoxification
in your liver, which enables your body to turn the alcohol into a less
harmful substance that can be excreted quicker than normal.

2. Beetroot has one of the highest sugar contents of any
vegetable. Up to 10 per cent of beetroot is sugar, but it is released
slowly into the body rather than the sudden rush that results from
eating chocolate.

3.The green leafy portion of the beetroot is also edible. It is now most
commonly found in mixed leaf salad bags however it is also served boiled
or steamed in and has a taste and texture similar to that of spinach…So nothing is wasted.

Ways to use Beetroot.

I love mixing them with any other veg and roasting in the oven …Carrots, onions ,squash and peppers .Just cut the washed and peeled beetroot into wedges and mix with a splash of olive oil and add cumin and salt and pepper.Roast in a fairly hot oven for about an hour until vegetables are cooked.Serve with a splodge of creme fresh .

Beetroot Rosti

900 g (2 lb) Beetroot (3 very large or 4 to 6 medium) pre-cooked but not in vinegar.

2 teaspoons fresh rosemary leaves chopped, stems discarded
Sea salt and black pepper
½ cup of plain flour (you may not need it all)
2 tablespoons butter or oil
1. Top and tail the beetroot and peel
2. Grate them with a coarse grater or food processor
3. Press any excess water out of them using a sieve
4. Heat a large non-stick frying pan on a medium heat.
5. Toss grated beetroot in bowl with rosemary salt and pepper
6. Gradually mix in the flour, adding just enough to combine the ingredients, stirring and tossing the mixture.
7. With your hands, press the beetroot mixture into patties.
8. Add the butter or oil to the pan and once it begins to sizzle, add the beetroot patties.
9. Turn the heat up a little, fry the patties for 10 minutes and allow them to crisp,
10. Flip them over and fry for another 10 minutes.

Freezing Beetroot

1. Cook the whole beetroot unpeeled but scrubbed in salted boiling water until a knife goes through easily .

2. Put beetroot into a bowl of cold water to cool down and to seal colour .

3. slice thickly and spread onto trays and freeze.

4. Remove from trays and put in freezer bags and put in freezer until needed.

Two New Chickens

Jackie — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 09:26:25 +0000

We sadly had to have one of girls Poppy put to sleep last week as she was very poorly.It was extra sad as she was one of our original girls.
We had already made arrangements to get to more girls from a local farm so it made it slightly easier to bear the loss of poor Poppy.
So off we went on Saturday morning armed with a cosy box .In the place they were held were several different types but we had to consider our type of garden if they were flighty and could get over a 6 foot fence…Also not too large .
We decided on a lovely Black star Annie who is about 15 weeks old and just lovely ..Black with a lovely gold necklace and a Gold star Bonnie of about 20 weeks old who is has already provided us with 2 lovely eggs..
They are in a separate pen for a couple of weeks within easy reach of our 2 remaining girls Clover and Rosie who in the main are ignoring them but every so often they let the new girls know who is boss .Rosie has definitely grown in stature since the weekend now she knows she is not bottom of the pecking order any more .

Tips for new allotmenteers!

Jackie — Sat, 09 Feb 2013 18:37:11 +0000

It was a hard year last year and a very late start this year .Usually we would have had a head start at the allotments by now but no chance!
So as I have nothing really to report I thought I would add a few bits of advice due to my expereiences down the years.
We started about 10 years ago after a lady I worked with told me about local ones going begging.I mean begging as they had been left with no organisation for years.
So for a small price we took one on in May of that year which was covered in couche grass…What a struggle! now my advice is one step at a time .
1. Divide your plot into squares so that you start and complete one bit at a time .
2. Don’t be daunted about the size ,if you think it would help cover part of it with membrane until you are ready to dig .
3.decide what is useful to keep like fruit bushes . Prune those if you can at this time of year so you can see what you have .
4. Only plant what you like to eat yourself and try and find varieties you can’t find in super markets..like yellow courgettes ,purple cauliflowers ,purple french beans .
5.Plant loads of potatoes as they break up the ground and cover an area quickly.We grow enough to last us the year .If stored properly in sacks they will.
6.Be aware of neighbours etc that say ” Oh you have your own veg ..Can I have some ? ” Don’t give it away .
7.Don’t be put off by what you think of as failures .We all have them . Enjoy being in the fresh air,exercising and making you and your family healthier by having your own veg which is cheaper and tastes better than aby thing you can buy .
8. Chat to others with a plot especcially the older people they have loads of knowledge and love telling “newbies” how to do it

Retirement ,Chickens & Allotments .

Jackie — Fri, 04 Jan 2013 10:14:28 +0000

After 50 years it has come the time to hang up my work clothes.. .. Take my garden fork more in hand and watch my chickens doing chickeny things from my patio doors. I thought long and hard about when to give up and was planning on the middle of this year but as we were going away for Christmas “Bit the bullet”

It is the last part of my life so Children gone, Husband Ian still working and away in the day but home at weekends with me ,I felt that now was the time .So what am I going to do? We have the two allotments which did not have as much TLC as usual because of the weather so that is a big plan .Although I have always tried to grow vegetables that you don’t get in thew super market this year i want to experiment more.My big aim is to look more into saving my own seeds for next year.I have done this only before with beans.I am sure i can do better than that!

The chickens while I was at work were shut in their WIR which they got used to but I like seeing them with space like chickens should have. Now they are out most of the time and wandering about preening and grooming.

I want to learn Spanish ,We go away to Fuerteventura at least once if not twice a year and always feel ashamed that I only know a few words and I know I could do better. “Addios Amigo , Gratia ,Ola etc., does not seem quite enough.

I love riding my bike so I would like to be a little more adveturous on that.

I love making bread and rolls also pickles and preserves so I would like to do more of that experimenting more with flavours .

This is my last chance ..No excuses. I can do what ever I like .

More About Bread

Jackie — Sat, 08 Dec 2012 16:33:46 +0000

I have been baking my own bread now for at least 5 years and learnt so much .I now feel it is time to branch out and be a bit more adventurous.

The picture above is of one of my loaves which I am most impressed. I usually only make for my own family and a couple of friends ,usually it is rolls my speciality being granary. It is only when you make your own that you realise how many preservatives they put in shop brought bread as my bread unless frozen has to be eaten fairly quickly otherwise it goes stale.

A| few weeks ago I brought a new cooker and I did not realise what a difference it would make as unless I turned my rolls around half way through they would burn on one side.With my new cooker which is fan assisted they are perfect.I retire in two weeks time and I think I might start making more bread for others.I think is just getting the confidence to do it.(What if I sold some body a soggy loaf!)

Granary rolls.

Ingredients

10 oz Granary flour

6 oz strong white flour

1 tbs salt

a tbs sunflower oil

1 sachet quick yeast (7 grams)

300ml water

Method

Put both flours into a large mixing bowl and put the salt on one side and the yeast on the other .

Add the oil and water and mix until it is a soft dough .

Tip the dough out onto a floured board and knead for about 5 minutes .

Put the dough back into the bowl and leave to rest for about 2 hours until about twice the size.

knead the dough again for about a minute .

Divide the dough into about 10 pieces and knead into balls .

Put on a floured baking tray and bake in a pre heated oven for about 20 – 25 minutes on gas 7 /220c

Transfer onto a wire rack to cool.

Winter chickens.

Jackie — Mon, 03 Dec 2012 14:44:46 +0000

This is the time of year when we all get concerned about our pets and chickens in the back garden are no exception. This is a photo of my lovely Poppy and after a few moments wondering what on earth had happened ,like the other two she was fine as their feathers fluff up and act like a little duvet .

Last year was the first winter and I was a complete novice not knowing what I should do ..But we all survived…. Here are a few tips.

Water This is just as important as food and not to let it freeze over.It is easy to go out thinking that they are ok but it does not take long.If they are Free ranging then keep some extra water close to the house where there is warmth. Some people put a golf ball in the water which they will peck and break the ice. I have heard that glycarin in the water stops it from freezing but this I have not tried.

Food As well as their normal pellets which they have they like extra protein to keep them warm . Warm porridge , pellets mixed with warm water, corn (which my girls turn their beeks up at and won’t eat )) and of course meal worms.

Rats Yuck! they are around more this time of year and even in the cleanest of places they will be around ,try not to leave any scattered food around and bring in their food dishes at night which will attract them.Most of all don’t panic treated with traps or poison (away from pets of course ) they will go !

Instinct Chickens are suppose to be out door animals and will all snuggle up together.Mine all sleep in the nest box and they keep each other warm.While they are out and about they tend to spend a lot of the time sat by my patio doors or under shrubs or trees out of the wind ,they know where to get warmth from .

Sleeping in the nest box New chicken owners are often worried that their chucks sleep in the nest box ..I used to be concerned as it was not the” done thing to do “but all mine do and they all snuggle in together and fluff up their feathers to keep warm .In the morning when they come out I scoop poop their poo and put it in the compost bin.I am sure they feel that is the place to be as they feel warmer and safer.

Snugglesafe This is a pad which you can heat in the microwave and put under their water bowl to stop from freezing quite so quickly.You can also use it if you have a poorly chicken that needs a little tlc. http://www.zooplus.co.uk

This is my second winter for my girls and I worried like mad the first year ..but got all the advice I needed from http://www.downthelane.net with some great helpers and me and the chickens survived.in fact I think the summer is harder for them.

Allotment Pickings.

Jackie — Mon, 03 Dec 2012 14:11:35 +0000

I thought it was about time I updated about the allotments.It has been a really bad year,probably our worst in 10 years , although it has the same for others .There have been good and bad.

potatoes We planted Piccasso which is a main crop and a good all-rounder and Pink fir apple which is a knobbly potato and more of a salad potato .We saved them just in time from blight ..as others on our allotments caught it we chopped down all our stalks and leaves down before it got a chance to attack the potatoes themselves .We have enough in our garage hanging in hessian sacks to last us the year.We did try some winter potatoes planted in August which were not successful at all .They were Charlotte and all though we had a fair few we hardly got the money back which we paid for the seed potatoes.

Leeks Now they were the star this year.I have had the best crop yet with enough to see us through .Most are blanched and packed in our chest freezer but we still have more to dig .

Broad beans. These were also good but I think this is because the crop was ready before the really nasty bad weather set in .

Carrots What can I say about carrots ? Not a lot I did not have one .They all rotted away ,but in my defence I never can grow them and Monty Dom had the problem ,so not just me !

Beetroot Very good ,I grew three different types this year and they were all successful.

Spinach & Chard That is still going strong which is great as we have the chickens and they just love a handful.

Seeds For the first time I had a whole bed of seeds put straight into the ground instead of starting them off at home and they all rotted.

Next year is going to be different I spent less time up there because the weather was so bad but I think I am going to have to be braver and get wet or cold. I have changed the layout so it should be more user-friendly. After all these years several of the allotment owners have started an association so we should get more help from our local council next year.