Fresh Eggs Available

Here is an idea for those wanting to sell their eggs.





~Dale Maurice Johnson

Spring Chicks

There are very few things that are cuter than brand new baby chicks. I have been so excited for spring, knowing that the feed store would start getting the baby chicks, turkeys and ducks. This year I got 3 new layers (meaning egg layers). Here is what I got.

Amy, she is an Ameraucana she will lay about 3 blue or green eggs per week.

Power Ranger and Ariel, are Rhode Island Reds, we choose them because they are excellent egg layers, each laying about 5 brown eggs per week.

I told you, there aren't many things cuter!

This is my set up until they are mature enough to join my other chickens outside. We have our chicks a rabbit cage that we found for free on craigslist.org, but a box with tall sides would work just as well. I like the rabbit cage, last year our chicks started to fly before they were ready to be outside we had to find a grate to cover the top of the box to prevent them from getting out.

A source of heat is a must! We invested in a heat lamp this winter to keep our layers laying while it was cold, and now are using it for the chicks. A 100 watt light bulb with a homemade tinfoil cone will work as well.

The chicks will let you know if they are too hot or cold, if they are huddled together right under the lamp. they are too cold. If they are spread out as far from the light as possible, they are are too warm. They should be scratching and running around the entire area, and napping and resting just outside the rim of the light.

I use pine shavings for their bedding, it is inexpensive at the feed store and it is very effective. Dirty bedding will be thrown into the compost bin when it is changed.
Chickens are very messy, as you can see in the picture, they have no qualms about standing (and pooping) in their feed. It is important to make sure they have clean food and water at all times. It is also a good idea to keep their bedding away from the water, last year my chicks would kick all their bedding into their water within minuets of getting fresh water.
Chicks will need commercial starter crumbles. Layers will graduate to layer pellets (high energy feed) Layers will also eat your table scraps - almost all of them - meat, vegetable, pasta, etc. as well as mow your back lawn.

Layers are a long term investment - 2-3 years, but you get eggs everyday after 4 months. For best egg production, I suggest Rhode Island Reds or RI crossbreeds for brown eggs or Whit Leghorns for white eggs. There are also more interesting layers that give various colors of eggs, but the eggs production is not as good.

~marisa

Pioneer Easter Eggs

Try this all-natural way to color Easter eggs, using
onion skins. I learned it from my mother, who
learned it from her mother, who undoubtedly learned it
from her mother, too.

The best part of this method, and what I remember most
from growing up, is that it was almost like two Easter
egg hunts in one. Before we even started coloring the
eggs, mom sent us a-hunting outside for blossoms,
fresh grass blades, buds and the like to create
patterns on the eggs. Even if we didn’t find
something new and green, we always enjoyed the search.
Ah, spring.

Here’s how to color your own eggs:

• Gather the outer onion skins, as many as you can!
The more you have, the greater color saturation.
You’ll need to wrap them around each egg several times
over.

Remove skins in as big a piece as possible. Save them
in the fridge for the weeks leading up to Easter. Or,
if you’re like me and the holiday sneaked up on you
this year, dig in the grocery bins to buy lots of
loose skins when you purchase onions. Yellow ones
produce a golden brown color, with red and purple
onion skins imparting a bit more of their respective
hues. It’s best to keep one variety per boiling pot
so colors don’t get muddy.

• If you’ve collected vegetative material, place the
pieces right next to your raw egg in desired pattern,
then wrap onion skins around egg. Try moistening
leaves, etc., to get them to stick to the egg first.

If you didn’t make it outside, raid your crisper for
celery leaves, carrot tops, herbs or more – use your
imagination. (Don’t use anything that may be toxic --
check the Internet if in doubt.) Leaves and such make
a silhouette effect. Pansies (which are edible and
therefore safe) sometimes transfer some of their color
to the egg -- cool! Onion skins alone, however, still
make beautiful eggs with wonderfully layered color.

• After wrapping raw eggs with skins and more skins,
secure tightly with rubber bands (easiest) or string.
Or tuck egg inside a piece of clean nylon stocking.
You really will get more color depth and interest the
more skins you use, so break loose!

• Hard-boil using cold-water method: Place wrapped
eggs in pot, covering with an inch or more of cold
water. Bring quickly to a boil, then set aside
covered pot for 22-24 minutes (add about 5 minutes for
high altitude). Cool immediately under running cold
water. (My mom says the dyed hot water can stain a
porcelain sink, so carefully pour it down the drain to
avoid having to scrub later.)

• Remove onion skins from eggs and admire your
handiwork. Don’t forget that it’s nature handiwork,
too.

• If desired, polish dry eggs with a little vegetable
oil. Refrigerate eggs until needed. I've yet to have
one that tasted like an onion!

~Jennifer

Fieldtrip: Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo

Since it's my son's spring break from school we decided to make a trip down to the largest Livestock Show & Rodeo in the world. The Houston LS & R has concerts from top Country artists, all sorts of Rodeo Events like bull riding and cow roping, along with an extensive showing of animals and livestock. Top that off with a huge fair and barbecue cook-off and you've got one heck of a venue. We arrived just before lunch to beat the crowds and as much of the heat as possible(yes, even in March it's hot down in Houston). We ate our traditional rodeo lunch of smoked turkey legs and boy were they tastey!

We didn't want to spend the money on the big ticket events like concerts or rodeo shows so after a lunch of smoked turkey legs we headed over to the livestock show. The show consists of rows of vedors selling everything country from hats to ropes to furniture to tractors and trucks. It's a lot of fun and if you're like me you may decide to become a total cowgirl - until you check the price tag of that belt buckle! The other side of the arena is filled with all of the animals there to be judged and displayed. People don't seem to mind if you stroll down the aisles of animals waiting to be judged. And like us you can ask to pet the cows and hear more about them - teenagers love to talk about themselves so most will oblige!

There is also an entire section dedicated to farm life and raising livestock and you can spend a lot of time looking around. Every hour there was a small show about milk and where it comes from. A cow is brought up milked right before your very eyes. Though a couple hundred years ago this would have been slightly less than interesting - for us city folks it was fascinating! There are rabbits and guinea pigs for sale that were raised by local school kids - and actually a friend bought one a couple years back and because they were hand raised from birth by one adoring child or teen - they are totally family ready. There is another area dedicated to animals giving birth and you can actually see piglets nursing and cows giving birth. I felt a special affinity to this display! Here I am with a cow that was going to deliver sometime in the next few hours - that look is supposed to say, "I know EXACTLY how she feels."

But by far our favorite section each year is the chickens. We love to go and see the eggs hatching, chicks taking their first steps and then pullets running around like teenagers. You can even see it come full circle with the hens laying eggs right in front of you!After wandering around for almost two hours it was time for our last stop - the fair. The boys were super excited but so we wouldn't empty our wallets we prepared them in advance that they would get to ride one maybe two rides. We spent some time looking around and made our final decisions. The boys had loads of fun and watching them was better than actually riding ourselves! ;)

All in all, I love shows like this one - large or small. In fact, I might even enjoy the smaller ones better where you get to see local farmers display their beautiful pumpkins and intricate quilts. I love seeing folks who live their lives on the land, dedicated to farming and a simpler way of life. I also love seeing all of the sparkley hats and belt buckles! Check your local listings and I'm sure you'll find a county fair and livestock show that the whole family can enjoy!

~Megan

It's Seed Starting Time!

No matter where you live, it is time to start those seeds. If you are in a warmer climate, it might be time to start those more delicate plants like tomatoes and melons, if you are in colder climates it is time to start the hardier plants like radishes, broccoli, and spinach. You can do an online search for your area for information on when to start seeds and when to transplant.

For those who might be new to starting seeds, or are limited on space, there is the option to start with a kit. This is a miniature herb garden that my husband bought me for my birthday, I just love anything miniature, so I love this kit! Everything is included for one low price of $4.95 at the local hardware store.

Aren't the pots adorable?

I forgot to take a picture of the dehydrated soil pellets that it came with. The instructions are so easy, you put one pellet in each pot, add 2 TBS. of water, and wait 5 mins. After they are hydrated, each pot is filled with the perfect amount of soil.

Place a few seeds in each pot and cover with a small amount of dirt, next, place the greenhouse cover over the pots, and you should start seeing signs of life in about 5 days.

Wahoo, signs of life, I must have done it right.

Of course kits are not necessary, I'm sure the pioneers didn't bring cute seed starting kits across the plains with them. But, for those of us who just have a yellow thumb instead of green might feel a little more confident starting with a kit. I bought a kit a few years ago and it really worked well. You can find many kits out there either online or at a nursery.





Once you have bought the kit, there is no need to buy the same kit the next year. I found the soil pellets to refill these types of kits for just 10 cents each at the nursery.








This picture is to show you the size difference between dehydrated and hydrated pelets. Most seedlings are not ready to be transplanted for anywhere from 4-10 weeks depending on the type of plant. These little bits of soil are not sufficient to sustain the plants for that long. You will need to transfer the plants to a larger pot until they are ready to be transplanted outdoors.





I suggest making newspaper pots, it is economical as well as ecofriendly.



















~marisa

How about turkeys!?

If you want to bring real excitement into your backyard farm this summer, consider turkeys. They are easy, entertaining, and delicious. Before getting too excited, there are some important issues to consider. If you order from a hatchery, most require a minimum order of 10 -15 birds. So you may need to find some other backyard farmers with which to split the order. You must also begin with the end in mind realizing that you will have to dress them out or find someone to do it for you. Call your agriculture Extension Agent and see if he or she knows someone who will dress them.

While you have your Agent on the line, see if the Extension service is sponsoring 4H turkey projects that you can get your children involved in. If so, Extension may order poults for you. If you order from a hatchery, I suggest you get the largest white breed they offer. Half the fun is putting a turkey on the table at Thanksgiving that is twice as big as anything you can find in the store. Your guest’s jaws will drop when they see it. This past year, our Thanksgiving turkey dressed out at 42 pounds (our record is 48). We use the lowest rack in the oven and the biggest pan we can find.

You will want to raise at least 3-5 turkeys. Turkeys are social creatures who want the companionship of other turkeys. Let’s suppose you start with five. One dies. You name the other four “Thanksgiving”, “Christmas”, “Easter”, and “Homeless” (you will donate Homeless to the homeless shelter or a needy family in your neighborhood.)

Turkeys are great for scavenging insects in the yard. It is hilarious watching older poults chase after a moth. They will eat grass and weeds. However, you will need to supplement with commercial feed. Fence them out of the vegetable garden if they start doing too much damage. Occasionally turn them in the garden. They will clean out the bugs before they start on the plants. Keep in mind that raising turkeys is more expensive than buying them when they are a loss leader at the store for $0.69 a pound.

Turkeys are not shy. They will run to you when you walk out the door and follow you around the yard. Don’t be surprised when they brush up against you as you are gardening. Don’t be afraid either. They rarely peck.

There is nothing quite like seeing two Toms trying to out strut each other. Their appearance doubles in size as they puff out their feathers. Their heads, snoods (flap of skin that hangs over the beak), wattles (flap of skin under the chin), and caruncles (growths on the throat) turn brilliant shades of red and blue (how patriotic they look!)

They gobble occasionally but it is not annoying like rosters crowing or laying hens cackling.

The biggest problem you may have is getting too attached to them. It can be a little distressing loading them in the pickup for slaughtering. But if you keep things in perspective and give them the names I suggested earlier, these emotions will be short lived. Turkeys are one of the best ways to teach your children and to remind yourself where your meat comes from.

Click here for more information refer to the following Extension fact sheet.

Dale Maurice Johnson

Book Review: Animal, Vegetable, Miracle

If there is a required reading list for backyard farmers, or garderners, or just eaters - this book is sitting right at the top. Barbara Kingsolver, award winning author of books such as "The Poisonwood Bible", decided with her family to spend one year living off of food they could raise or grow themselves, or food that was raised or grown by someone within 100 miles. And preferably by someone they knew by name. As she puts it:

"As the U.S. population made an unprecedented mad dash for the Sun Belt, one carload of us paddled against the tide, heading for the Promised Land where water falls from the sky and green stuff grows all around. We were about to begin the adventure of realigning our lives with our food chain...

"This is the story of a year in which we made every attempt to feed ourselves animals and vegetables whose provenance we really knew . . . and of how our family was changed by our first year of deliberately eating food produced from the same place where we worked, went to school, loved our neighbors, drank the water, and breathed the air."

The book starts by explaining why they wanted to do it and the things they did in preparation for it - including all of the anxiety and fear they had about starving or eating old potatoes for a year. They officially start with their new lifestyle in Spring and end it exactly one year later. The question running through their family's minds - as well as mine - was, "Sure you can eat well in the Spring, Summer, and Fall but what about Winter?" I won't ruin the suspense but I can say that through visiting farmers markets every Saturday, working in their 3600 sq. foot garden, raising chickens and turkeys, and canning galore they are able to reap a bountiful harvest of not only food but wisdom and understanding.

In the first few pages of the book appears this image titled the Vegetannual and honestly, it totally puzzled me. I had no idea what is was or what it meant but now I see it as a really cool guide to eating locally and in season. She explains throughout the book the idea that vegetable and fruits are plants and that as plants they all follow a basic progression. Knowing when a fruit/veggie is in season simply requires knowing what part of the plant it is. Is it a root, a seed, a flower, a fruit or a leaf? Because all plants follow basic timelines throughout the year knowing what part of the plant it is makes it easier to figure out when that food is available. I won't go into it too much but that is what inspired this chart - imagining that all plant foods came from one mother plant - and when they would be available - notice the dates to the left. I love it!

Most of my enjoyment in this book came from descriptions of gathering eggs, digging in the dirt, cooking, canning and enjoying the seasons. I love this topic and I think they whole idea of getting back to the land and to the old ways is having a comeback - thus we have this blog - and I love her thoughts on this:

"Many of us who aren't farmers or gardeners still have some element of farm nostalgia in our family past, real or imagined: a secret longing for some connection to a life where a rooster crows in the yard." 179

Her husband as well as her oldest daughter also write short essays that are scattered throughout the book on their experiences. Overall, after reading this book a couple months ago I am a changed woman. Some parts really resonated with me and are now drifting through my mind and affecting my everyday decisions, especially the quote from Wendell Berry in the first chapter:

EATERS MUST UNDERSTAND, HOW WE EAT DETERMINES HOW THE WORLD IS USED.

I didn't know it but as she further explains in that chapter:

"each food item in a typical U.S. meal has traveled an average of 1500 miles...if every U.S. citizen ate just one meal a week(any meal) composed of locally & organically raised meats and produce, we would reduce our country's oil consumption by over 1.1 million barrels of oil EVERY WEEK. That's not gallons, but barrels. Small changes in buying habits can make big differences. Becoming a less energy dependent nation may just need to start with a good breakfast." 5

Though this issue is a little political the book is not bogged down by or led by this trend - the beauty of this book is that it is a very intimate look into how this change affected her thoughts, her family, and ultimately her life. And in the end - how it affects my life. What an inspiring, informative, and and often humorous look at how living more simply or traditionally can rid our lives of so many of the problems we face. I highly recommend it for all of us who eat!

~Megan

*All of the images in this post come from www.animalvegetablemiracle.org