The Outhouse Coop
We had this little outhouse in the new triangle garden area. Since we decided to get Dailon his own flock of laying hens, we needed a coop for them. We also wanted to use the chickens to work up the soil in that area.
Dailon got to work turning the outhouse into a little coop. He gutted the building, rebuilt the back wall with salvaged lumber and built exterior nesting boxes with outside access.
The inside was whitewashed to freshen it up and roosts were made from trees and a new coop was born, for only a few dollars. It’s not posh and polished like many coops you see, but for the money we spent it’s a bargain – and it certainly has it’s own charm and history!
At the moment, we’ve putting our main flock of chickens in the fenced in area to keep them out of the edible gardens until my new fence arrives. They’re doing a great job of working up the soil already. No doubt, Dailon’s flock of Golden Comets will be happy hens in this new rustic coop.
Have you repurposed anything in the garden recently?
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Cultivate Simple 29: Stew 1.0
An honest and unrehearsed discussion about trying to live a more simple life. This is episode 29 and today we are talking about everything.
American Livestock Breeds Conservancy
What’s For Dinner?
Spinach and Artichoke Stuffed Mushrooms
Books of the Week
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:22:28 — 57.3MB)
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Quote of the Day: Joe Eck & Wayne Winterrowd
Vegetables beckon and intrigue us in a way no fish or piece of meat every could.
The beauty of a single lettuce, its inner leaves tight and crisp, the outer ones opened up like those of a cottage garden rose; the glowing saffron flesh of a cracked pumpkin; the curling tendrils of a pea plant; a bunco hot long white-tipped radishes; a bag of assorted tomatoes in shades of soft scarlet, green and orange is something I like to take time over. And not only is it the look of them that is beguiling. The rough feel of a runner bean between the fingers, the childish pop of a pea pod, the inside of a fur lined lava bean case, the cool vellum like skin of a freshly dug potato are all reason to linger. And all of this even before we have turned the oven on.
Nigel Slater Tender: A Cook and His Vegetable Patch
This time of year I’m especially happy to start seeing the beauty evolve in the vegetable garden. It’s exciting to see the first pink tops of radishes forming in the dark earth.
The colors of all the brassicas are particularly intriguing, this year I’m enjoying the unfurling of ‘Purple Peacock’ Broccoli.
The ‘Scarlet Frills’ mustard is calling me to harvest it in order to add color to our spinach salads. And the Red Sales lettuce’s color is growing deeper with the intensity of the sun.
What vegetable are you enjoying visually at the moment?
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Wild Foods of Spring
On a mild day in spring it is pleasant to take a light basket on one’s arm and go for a long walk, garnering whatever the fields, woods and streams offer, the best foraging is probably close to home, around the flower and vegetable gardens, where many early-developing weeds are most abundant and tasty. The fattest finest dandelions will certainly be plentiful there, and violets, and possibly Saint Barbara’s weed. Chickweed will never be far from any recently cultivated ground, and if you have succeeded in keeping jewelweed out of the shadier parts of your garden, we would like to know your secret. But in the garden, other edibles plants will be available, all familiar nuisances, many worth gathering for food.
Joe Eck & Wayne Winterrowd in Living Seasonally: The Kitchen Garden and the Table at North Hill
I haven’t had much of a chance to get out foraging yet, but I did score some fiddlehead ferns at the farmers market last week. We enjoyed them sautéed for breakfast with poached eggs on top.
Dandelions have been making their way from the edges of the woodlot to our plates. I’ve been waiting for rain to start searching for mushrooms in earnest. Looks like this will be the perfect week for the that.
Wild violets also abound in the lawn, they always find their way into salads to add that special bit of beauty and a ton of vitamin C. There’s nothing quite like finding food that you didn’t have to take the time to cultivate!
Are you enjoying any foraged food at the moment?
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Friday Favorite: Farm Stands
I have to admit, I’m a sucker for a farm stand. Whenever I see a sign like this, I slam on the brakes to see what they’ve got. Last Saturday, on my way between plant sales, I spotted this beautiful farm on a back road.
Lucky me, I scored a few bags of spinach and very spicy tiny leaved salad mix. Mr Chiots and I especially love seeing these when we’re out traveling. It certainly makes adding local vegetable to your plate much easier wherever you are.
I especially love little stands like this that work on the honor system. There’s something so comforting about knowing that there are still honest folks in the world and things like this still work.
Do you ever stop when you see signs like this while traveling?
