Colorful Harvest

This morning was such a lovely morning to be outside.  I pulled a few things from my garden after tending to the chickens.  We've had a bumper crop of yellow squash and zucchini, and also cherry/grape tomatoes.  I am starting to get a few eggplants and I am excited about that.  I bought the plants from an organic farmer from our farmers market.  I realized once I got them home that they had mites.  I separated them from the rest of my plants and treated them with an organic spray.  The plants were sad looking at first and now they are doing great!  The variety is called "Fairy Tale" and are picked fairly young and small.  I plan on grilling these up today along with some squash, onion and green peppers.
I think Charlie and I are going to a blueberry farm today to get some berries.  I've been freezing fruit lately to add to smoothies.  This week I had healthy smoothies twice a day (made with spinach, sprouts, fruit, ground flax seed and sometimes non-fat yogurt).  The frozen fruit makes the smoothie cold and it covers the flavor of the veggies and flax.  I have a bunch of reasons for doing this -- but what it all boils down to is HEALTH.  Although I am a vegetarian, I still have some bad eating habits.  I'm trying to make some positive changes right now and start to take better care of myself.  The smoothies definitely make it easier to get a bunch of healthy stuff packed into one meal.

What I'm reading

The Feast Nearby has been a pleasure to read this winter.  I'm almost done with it and I'd recommend it to anyone who is interested in eating local foods, putting food by, and simple living.  Robin Mather writes about the year after she lost her job in Chicago and her marriage.  She moves to West Michigan (near and dear to my heart) with her dog and bird to heal and regroup.  The book is more a collection of essays grouped by season -- talking about how she sources local foods while sticking to a strict budget.  At the end of each chapter, she includes a half dozen recipes/techniques to use and preserve the various ingredients she highlighted.  I'm excited to try some of them this year!

Next on the list to read is this book:

Folks, this ain't normal looks like it is going to be one that really makes me think.  I've read the first chapter (I had to take a peak) called "Children, Chores, Humility and Health".  Joel Salatin (you may have seen him in the film, Food, Inc.) jumps right in discussing what he thinks is wrong with our society today - how removed we are from how life has been for centuries.  We no longer raise our own food (some of us are trying to learn though), chop our own firewood, etc.  I'm curious to see where he takes this book.

I'm always open to suggestions for good books.  Please share if you have read anything interesting lately.

The New Coop and the Quiche Factory

This is the new 4'X6' chicken coop that the chickens are going to call home this winter.  In the photo above, you can see that it has a row of nesting boxes that are accessible from the outside.  On one end there is a window and a door for the chickens to enter and exit (with a ramp).  On the opposite sides are the door that I can enter through and as you can see in the photo below (left), a vent for warm weather.
I've placed their water on a crate and hung their food from one of the rafters to keep the bedding from getting kicked into them.  I may get a heated water dispenser for the cold -- but I'm not sure.  Does anyone have any experience with those?

The interior has a couple of roosts and plenty of room for the chickens to run around.  It has 6 nesting boxes -- many more than 7 chickens actually need.  Here, the chickens are excited about the pile of treats I gave them this weekend (apple slices and the last of the garden squash).  I call the chickens a "Quiche Factory".  They are putting out a couple of eggs a day -- brown, fresh, and so tasty!

This is Ruby.  She is my most aggressive chicken at this point.  She comes right up to me to try to grab any treats I might have in my hands -- and she often ends up chomping on my fingers instead.  She is at the top of the pecking order from what I can tell.  She is a pretty chicken though and as long as she lays eggs and doesn't hurt the other ladies she can stick around.

Heirloom Tomato Panzanella Salad

I'm taking a break from all the nature photography to offer up a recipe I made from my last good haul of tomatoes from my garden (a few weeks ago).  It's called Panzanella salad -- it is easy to make and you can add or subtract from this recipe as you please:

Gather heirloom tomatoes and fresh basil from the garden, red onion, garlic, green olives, and fresh mozzarella -- chop, chop, chop.  Blend olive oil and balsamic vinegar, add salt and pepper.  Mix it all up.  Use day old crusty bread and chunk it up.  Mix the bread in a few minutes before serving.  It soaks up all the juices and softens up.  This salad doesn't really keep more than a day because the bread gets too soft -- but don't worry -- it disappears quickly.  Healthy and delicious!!!

See, I told you it is easy!  You could also use cucumber or bell pepper and feta cheese instead of mozzarella.  It is really up to you.  Look around the internet for other recipes to see the variations or if you are the kind of person who wants to know specific measurements.

Garlic Scape and Mushroom Quiche

I wanted to make something other than pesto with my garlic scapes this year.  I've also been wanting to brush up on my quiche making skills.  The chickens are still a couple of months away from egg-laying, but I must be prepared (I already have friends lining up to try a quiche made with happy chicken eggs).  So, the natural choice was to try making a garlic scape quiche.

For those that don't know, garlic scapes are the curling tops of garlic plants.  The are milder than the bulb of the garlic and can be used much like other vegetables.  They do make an awesome pesto and I've read that they are really good in stir fry.

Today I chopped up about a dozen scapes (cut off the flower part and just use the green "neck") into small pieces.  I also used a small can of mushroom pieces and some grilled onion I had left over from another meal.  Anyway, saute' them with 1 Tbsp. butter until they are softened a bit then add the mushrooms to join all the flavors for a few minutes.  Remove them from the heat and let cool a while.  

I used a frozen pie shell (deep dish).  If you have time to make your own pie crust - I salute you.  Maybe someday that will be me.  So, I put the frozen pie shell on a cookie sheet, then add the veggies to the bottom.  On top of that I grated parmesan cheese.  I was thinking a little swiss cheese would have been nice too.

I whisked 5 eggs and about 1 cup of half and half together then added salt and pepper.  Some recipes call for nutmeg -- I didn't add it, but the amazing thing about quiche is that you can pretty much make it however you'd like.  I then carefully poured the egg mixture over the veggies and cheese, then put it into my preheated 375 degree oven for 40 minutes.  The timer is actually about to go off....

Wow!  It looks really good!  I can hardly wait to cut into it -- but you gotta let it rest at least 5 minutes.  It keeps cooking after you take it out, so don't worry if it doesn't look quite done.  I imagine there are a thousand varieties of garlic scape quiche that could be made.  Just pick and choose other veggies (or meat if you eat it) and different cheeses and herbs. 

I'd be very curious to hear what your favorite combination of quiche fillings are.  I've got to start stockpiling ideas because my little chicks are growing up quickly.  

An update

Life is always busy for me around the holidays.  I've been spending my free time doing a bit of Christmas shopping and now I have to focus on getting the house ready for guests.  My family is coming over on Christmas Eve/Christmas Day to celebrate at our house.
I know I have been neglecting my blog lately.  Here's what's new:
The ground is covered with snow and it is absolutely beautiful around here.  I love the way pine trees look in the snow.  We have tons of birds at our feeders -- I can sit in my chair in the living room and watch them for hours (if I had the time).
Charlie and I bought a chest freezer to hold a pig that we bought from Uncle Dave (our prior landlord).  Yesterday we went to pick up the meat from the butcher.  Charlie mostly had steaks, chops, sausage and bacon made from the pig - no hams (the extra processing costs more).  We gave the hocks to his dad to make soups with this year.  After putting everything into the new freezer, I still have room for my freezer jam and plenty of room for storing more produce this year.  I enjoy canning and the idea of not needing electricity to put food by -- but I also enjoy how fresh food tastes when it is frozen instead of canned.  We will need to invest in a generator this Spring in case of power outages -- losing $300 worth of meat is not something I want to risk.
We also bought a new refrigerator/freezer at the same time we got the chest freezer.  Our old one was the original from when they built the house in 1975.  The seal was bad, it was making funny noises, and I know it was using much more electricity than it should have.  I'm hoping that even though we have a chest freezer now, our electric bill should go down just because both appliances are more efficient than the old fridge.
Next on the list is a new oven... but that is going to wait a while longer.
Other than the new appliances and the purchase of a pig, life is pretty much the same around here.  The stray cat is pregnant (either that or she is just getting fat from all the food she begs from me) and we are waiting for her to have her litter.  Work is work -- we are both blessed to have jobs that keep us very busy.  I got my first seed catalogue the other day and I get to start day dreaming about how much better my garden will be next year (hey, I can always hope).
That's about it.  I will try to post again soon.

Farm stand and a couple cuties

Mom and I went to a local farm and nursery during her visit.  I have plans to visit it earlier on in the year next year.  I was pretty impressed with what they had.  There were bins full to the brim with squash of every variety imaginable.  I stocked up on what I thought I'd be able to use this winter.  Next year, I intend to grow some of my own.  In fact, I bought an heirloom pie pumpkin for the seeds as much as for the flesh -- you can be sure I'll be saving some of them for my garden (and still have plenty to roast).  

I also bought some onions (mine didn't grow well this year - I had plenty of pearl onions though) and a huge cabbage.  

Of course, my mother and I cannot pass up adorable kittens without picking them up and letting them know how adorable they are.  There was a whole batch of kittens that lived in the green houses and farm stand.  Aren't they handsome?  For a quick minute, I thought Mom might smuggle one home.  

I spent all day so far just grocery shopping and cleaning up the kitchen.  Oh, and I baked a squash to have later for dinner.  Alas, I have to get the yard winterized -- I can tell that snow is not far off for us.  Time to get moving if I am going to get anything done today.

There once was a happy chicken...

There once was a happy chicken.  The chicken was born at a hatchery and sent to a friendly farmer the very next day.  That farmer gave the chicken a warm cozy place to stay with other chicks, just like her.

They grew up together and eventually moved to a coop with plenty of room to wander.  She heard stories of relatives who went to factory farms and spent their entire lives without enjoying fresh bugs scratched from the dirt, or even the ability to walk around.  She loved her life on the farm -- running around, eating veggies and good feed, and laying eggs for the farmer.

The chicken lived a good life, and when her time was up, she was butchered and given to a vegetarian and her flesh eating husband.  The vegetarian gave thanks for the chicken's life and prepared it for her husband, knowing that a happy chicken would be better for her husband that the factory farm relatives.

Ok, well, I'm not really a story teller -- but you get the idea.  Uncle Dave and Aunt Mary gave us a chicken at Christmas time.  I told him I would like to get a pig from him this next year (after we get a chest freezer).  Well, half a pig.  Another vegetarian friend wants to split it with me.  Her son eats meat and she would prefer to avoid buying factory meat as well.  One reason I am a vegetarian is the horrible conditions that animals suffer from on those factory farms.  I would rather cook an animal that was raised respectfully or hunted from nature for my husband -- even though it may be more expensive.  It is better for the animals, my husband, and not to mention the local farmers and the environment.

This bird was seasoned with salt, pepper and garlic powder (was supposed to be onion powder, but I didn't have any).  Then put 3 Tbsp butter inside the cavity with one stalk of celery cut into pieces.  I added a few pieces of onion as well.  Smear a bit more butter on the exterior.  It should be cooked about 1 hour 15 minutes or until an internal temp. of 180 degrees is reached.  I've been keeping a close eye on her because she is skinnier that most store chickens (but while I'm checking the temp. I baste it in the juices also).  Once done, she needs to be covered loosely and left alone for about a half hour....

Found Apples

Charlie and I went foraging for apples and pears yesterday.  We braved a drainage ditch for the apples and I had to avoid bees to get to the pears.  It was worth it though.  I made an apple crisp with the apples and brought it with us to the Labor Day cookout at my in-laws.  Yum.  And the best part is that they were free!

A day in the sun

This past Sunday was absolutely gorgeous.  We spent the entire afternoon and into the evening outdoors.  Charlie and his brother work with a guy that is fairly self sufficient and has his own homestead out in the middle of nowhere (I will call him "D").  We went over to his place along with my brother in law, his wife and their 3 kids.  First we went out into the woods to look for morel mushrooms.  Although we didn't find any morels, we filled two paper bags with beefsteak mushrooms.  I came out of the woods blistered and bruised (ill-fitting size 12 rubber boots + shin level fallen trees = ouch) but it was good to hike and get lots of air.  Oh, and a photo of a gorgeous trillium...

Then we fished on D's pond.  Charlie caught a nice trout and someone else caught a bluegill.  D. cooked up a mess of food while everyone kept fishing.  He made venison burgers, potatoes, corned beef hash, beefsteak mushrooms, applesauce, and of course the fish.  I don't eat meat but the rest of the food was amazing.  Apparently D. does a lot of hunting.  He has a sweet dog named Clover -- he made her a fox hat.  Here she is modeling it for you...

Here is a photo of D. and his bee hive.

And a photo of the honey he sent home with us, and some homemade raspberry wine that was also gifted.  Yum!

Overall, it was a great day.  I got some sun and fresh air, spent some time with Charlie and some of his family, and daydreamed about having my own little homestead someday soon.

Now it is mid-week and I'm just getting this post together.  Monday rolled around and life got busy again.  Last night and tonight I managed to plant some peas, lettuce and onions.  Much more news will be coming from the garden.

Sassy seems to have a urinary tract infection.  Right now I am trying to treat her with homeopathics but I worry that I am doing the wrong thing for her and am considering taking her to the vet for antibiotics.  If you pray for animals, send one out for her -- because she is uncomfortable.

Time to relax, Part 2

May I highly recommend....

Mom and I picked up this wine on our vacation last September at Chateau Grand Traverse.  I had been saving it for the right time.  I had forgotten why I chose it over all the other wines we sampled that week -- but now I remember.  This is just one more reason I love Michigan.  I am not a wine expert but I do know what I like -- and this is it.  From the website:

$13.99/ 750 ml. bottle

This lusciously sweet wine was produced from late-picked Chardonnay grapes. It is a delicious sweet style wine with a soft, creamy palate, tropical fruit flavors and a lingering finish. Match with assertive foods such as Cajun, Thai, or Indian cuisine. Serve at 45-50º F.

Scenes from the Farm

I thought I would show a few of the photos I shot today.  The first one is a view of the farmhouse from the back yard.  We rent the upper level.  These are gladiolas to be taken next door to Joanne's house.  Dave and Mary (farm owners) and Joanne all work the farm and run a market stand out of Joanne's garage.  

Aren't glads gorgeous?

This is the sign out front of Joanne's house.

Tasty produce...

The epitome of summer...