Oh new version of blogger, how you frustrate me!

Okay so blogger has changed some things and I am still catching up with it. For this post, I'll have the text first and then the pictures. Not how I like to do it, but until I can figure some things out, we'll have to let it work this way. Introducing Ruby! We have a fifth hen in the Scordato chicken pen! She appeared like a stranger in the night, eating birdseed one morning in my parent's back yard. Dad netted her and she is very calm and sweet and even her little chicken song is different from the goldies. She is a golden laced wyandotte chicken. She is a popular choice and is very cold hardy. She's larger than the other goldies and has a smaller comb which makes her less vulnerable to frostbite. She isn't laying any eggs yet. It only took her three weeks for the 4 goldies to accept her and even though she is bigger in body and beak, they totally bully her and she is always the last one to come out of the coop in the morning. Below are some snaps of Molly sunning herself in the sunshine. I took these pictures specifically for a special project I'll share later next week. The Flea Market Chic book is my latest favorite decorating book. The introduction is nice, and I like almost something on nearly every page! And here's a quiet shot of Maxwell, patiently waiting out winter like the rest of us. I have big news the next blog post is going to be pretty cool. Andrew and I recently returned from a a trip to Southern California and I took a ton of pictures...now I just have to figure out how to load them in between text. Stay tuned. I hope to have a nice post to help transition us into spring when I should be able to post more. And if you haven't signed up for email, do so and it will get delivered directly in your inbox!

Winter Hodge Podge

Not a lot of activity to report, except for...

The goldies are laying again! We've been getting four eggs a day since the middle of January. "Julie," you ask, "what happens to goldie's eggs when it gets down to 15 degrees by day and 6 degrees by night and you miss a day getting the eggs out of the nest box? Um, this:

Liquid expands when it freezes, but then it's so cold that once the egg cracks it continues to stay frozen solid. In indoor news, I made some lavender skin toner to pick up dry winter skin.

I also tried the peanut butter rice krispies again but this time I put them in a brownie pan and melted chocolate chips over them. They were delicious...but a little dense.

In a few days I will have a blog post about the newest addition to the Scordato homestead. Let's just say she appeared like a stranger in the night... For now, here are a few shots from warmer days.

Indoor Projects: Winter Edition

Hello again, and I hope you had a great holiday. I've not gotten as many indoor projects done as I would like this year and I'm not sure about the rest of the winter as I am working on trying to de-clutter the house a little bit. I tried my hand at making an herbal salve for eczema for my friend A. Salves are really a fine, fine science to make and I'm not sure how much of my time I'll want to invest in this as Elder Forest makes such amazing salves but I gave it a try with this book. The incredients in the glass bowl are calendula and chamomile from my own herb garden and some lavender buds from a lavender farm out west.

I melted the coconut oil and beeswax in a super small crock pot for 6 hours with the herbs mixed in. Straning was a bit of a challenge and it took a couple days for it to set up. So far my testers say it's greasy, hard to the touch in the jar, and smells really strongly of the calendula, but it looks like it may indeed be helping their eczema, so we'll see.

I'm very excited about this Sensational cookie book. I got it for Christmas. I tried the recipe for peanut butter rice krispies, but I didn't have the loose peanuts the recipe called for. I think I am going to try it again only add more peanut butter, the peanuts, and put it in our pre-cut brownie pan. I also have an idea of sprinkling some chocolate chips over the mixture when it's still warm, to see if I can't make a nice chocolate-y top.

I've been kicking around this idea for a while since I can't resist collecting objects from nature. And I had this idea in mind at the Country Living Fair when I found this pair of anchor hocking wire top jars. The nice thing about them is there is no name engraved/etched/embossed on the glass so you can clearly see the contents from any angle. Some of the objects are from my garden, others were found out and about. I think there is an actual name for this kind of craft. It's not a terarrium because everything is dried, but I don't know what it's called. I gave this one as a Christmas present to a treasured work colleague. This Cabbage and Roses book is a reprint from 2003 and just a lovely decorating book to look at. It has a little bit more color than the Shabby Chic style. Although Andrew was able to helpfully point out that "no one really lives like this." Some people do, and it's more for ideas than actualy turning ones home into a magazine spread.

Mr. Fox Makes a Visit

That fox is so smart, he used the trail we made for easier going, then veered off the trail when it suited him!

Goldies don't get their feathers ruffled over a little thing like a Blizzard

Hello I know it's been a while. I was able to get out this afternoon and take some pictures of the Goldies in their new pen! They've been in for a few weeks and today they came out of their coop for a little fresh air. We have Mom and Dad's remaining two goldies so we are back up to four. Two of our Goldies succumbed to a mysterious illness this fall. So here is a picture taken from the side of the garage to the back forty. You can see the trail made down by me and Andrew walking back and forth to the pen.

And here is a closer look at the pen:

At this end you can see the back door to the chicken tractor. I still have to get it painted. Anyway, this allows me to take care of the tractor without going into the pen. It came in handy on the 26th when the weather was so bad that the goldies got room service.

On the 26th they didn't want out at all and I couldn't blame them. Today though, they had cabin fever. So I shoveled out a little path from the front of their tractor to an area in front of the door where I am putting their food and water.

They really need a space clear of snow. So much so, that they didn't want to even step on the snow at the bottom of the ramp before getting on the path, so they flew over it instead.

One Goldie is reluctant to come out, so I hand feed the other three "scratch" from my hand to lure her out.

"Scratch" is a slightly less decadent mix of seeds and grains than "Harvest Delight" The chicken magazine (that reminded me that chickens need a clear path in deep snow) suggests feeding scratch in the morning and evening to help boost their metabolism, but not so much that they don't eat their regular food. Pictured here are some of the supplements I feed the Goldies. Grit is important now since they can't range. Grit is important to help chickens digest their food. Not pictured is Oyster Shell which helps make egg shells stronger. They aren't laying so it's not as important now, neither is the omega three supplement which I feed them mixed in their feed all summer. There is also a bag of harvest delight, but I am not using it as much now, and a bag of scratch.

And look, the fourth goldie has ventured out for her share of Scratch. It doesn't hurt at all to feed them and their beaks make a typewriter key sound against my palm.

Here is a view of the opposite end of the chicken pen from where I was feeding Scratch. Lots of space for them to roam when snow is gone.

There is a piece of metal roofing over the far end, as is over this end too, shielding the tractor from the elements.

And here is the chicken tractor extension re-purposed into a feeding annex. Later when the weather is better, the water and feed stations will be moved in this area to keep mess down to a minimum.

Here are some close up shots of the Goldies, you can see their feathers are all grown into their fluffy fullness, and not a moment too soon!

Water is going to be the biggest challenge of winter care. They need fresh water everyday. On the worst days I can put the water dish in their tractor, but if quickly fills up with shavings. There isn't an electric source to keep it heated, so I just have to give them water everyday and hope they are smart enough to get it while they can.

Golden comets are cold hardy, and the tractor is built so "tight" that even on a night like this that gets down to 17 degrees, they will be toasty. I pull up the ramp each night to keep most of the cold air out, but there is a little space between the ramp and the doorway to allow for some air in. It's important for there to be some air circulating to keep the chickens from sweating (I know it sounds crazy but it's true) and to keep condensation away, which can lead to frostbite. Remember too there are lots of shavings in there for added insulation. Now that the chicken pen is done (more or less, I have a feeling though that it will be something I'll always be tinkering with) Andrew will be pruning the grapes later this winter.

And here is the lavender. Let's hope those baby plants were able to take root. They've been in the ground over three months though so here's hoping.

And here is the herb garden under all the snow. So far I've been able to keep that rosemary in the tub, and here I've pulled it out of the garage to get some sun. Can I keep going till spring? We'll see. I lost all the ones I tried to keep in the house. That's all for now. I'll try to post more regularly.

Cauliflower and Cheese recipe, because I love my readers

Hi, this is just a quick post and no pictures (sorry) after a long and busy and fun Thanksgiving weekend. We had some family in from out of town and we got good eating, good shopping and just good company in. The weather drop is a sharp reminder that winter does eventually come though isn't it? I am raising the chickens coop door up and night to keep the cold air out and their feathers are starting to come in. I'm having to keep on chicken water-er in the garage or house over night to carry out in the morning to keep them in fresh water. The chicken pen is going along at a good clip. We have the roof pieced up, the entire pen about 3/4 chicken wired, and the door framed out. The hens are snug enough in their tractor and I'm feeding them treats like leftover rolls to keep their spirits up. Below is a recipe that is a classic holiday side around the house. For the past several years I haven't been able to have it, but with Lactaid cottage cheese and cabot aged cheddar, I can have it once again. This is screamingly simple and super delicious! Preheat oven to 350 degrees Chop up on head of cauliflower into it's florets and boil until it is fork tender. Mix: one egg (preferably free range and delicious) 3/4 cup cottage cheese 1 tablespoon of flour 8 0z of shredded cheese Drain the cauliflower and mix into your cheesy mixture. Mix until it's coated, and all kinda melted together then spread in a 9x9 glass pan and bake for 20 minutes. Yes, this is a "would you like some vegetable with your cheese?" Kind of dish and it is yummy! Disclaimer: I did not make this recipe up. I got it from my Mom, who has had this recipe for like forever. I'm sure she got it from somewhere, I don't know where. I am not claiming to have any credit for this recipe. If I knew the culinary angel who came up with this I would credit them. Give it a try and leave a comment if you do. It's just as good reheated. I'll try to post some planned projects soon. thanks for checking in! PS I wish I knew how to put spaces between all these paragraphs and lists of ingredients. Sorry if it is hard to read. If anyone knows how to but spaces between paragraphs in, please let me know. thanks

Out and About the Garden

I'm toying with the idea of cutting off a ton of dill that's cropped up in the herb garden the past couple weeks and trying a cheddar dill bread recipe. A lot will hinge on time, but it hasn't been that hurt by the frost so I am tempted to give it a shot. On Sunday the 18th the late blooming monster of a mum was a bee magnet, and well, you know how much I like taking pictures of bees.

That orange you see on her leg is pollen that she will carry back to her hive to be mixed with honey and enzymes to make a "bee bread" that is then in turn used to feed the baby bees. I confirmed this with Honeyrun farm www.honeyrunfarm.blogspot.com The Barnes family has a great operation going and you can find their honey products at North Star market, Smith's Farm stand, and online at www.etsy.com I also like this picture I got because even though the bee is blurry, check out the shadow!

Speaking of a garden update, make sure you swing by www.blacklablavender.blogspot.com I know I haven't posted in forever, but here is one, probably the last until spring.

Harvesting Rosemary

Well, with my three potted rosemary's still lingering between life and death in the guest room, I bite the bullet a couple Sundays ago and cut off all the rest of the plants in the garden. I do still have rosemary in one tub I am going to try to over winter using a cloche and some hoop greenhouse plastic so we will see. According to the Reader's Digest Complete Illustrated Book of Herbs, Rosmarius officinalis is the wild herb most commonly found on sea cliff around the Mediterranean. There are both blue flowered and pink flowered varieties and Rosemary if kept in an appropriate place to over winter can be cut in topiary like shapes and in warmer climates, grows tall enough to use for hedging. Maybe you will notice the recently popular rosemary trees sold at grocery stores this time of year. As I write this blog I find out that two of my rosemary plants have root rot as they are browning at the tips of the leaves. My gardening friend M was right, I am over watering them (sigh) okay, no more water and we'll see if they survive. Fussy things. Maybe next year Andrew will make me a nice cute mini green house with salvaged windows and I can try to overwinter them in the garden. Rosemary is also known as "Mary's Mantle" It is said that when Mary and Joseph were fleeing from Herod's men, she draped her blue cloak over a rosemary bush to try, and the blooms, previously white, were blue when she picked her cloak up. Rosemary has also been posted on doors to prevent faeries from kidnapping infants. Rosemary has a number of culinary uses but also medicinal. It's good for stimulating the nerves (rosemary is known as the herb of remembrance) and can clear one's head and help focus after inhaling it's resinous scent because rosemary increases blood flow to the head. Rosemary is also good for circulation , fatigue and sore muscles, which is why I rely on Elder Forest's rosemary salve for the aches and pains of gardening...or too much yoga with weights and Rosemary salve is especially good for cold nights as it has a warming effect and I've found that it helps me sleep. According to RDigest, rosemary leaves and juniper berries were burned in French hospitals to kill germs. It may have also helped medical staff on less sleep perk up a bit...but that's just a guess of mine.

Here is some rosemary soaking in water with a tiny bit bleach to kill germs. The salad spinner is one of those OXO pump action ones. Very durable and really gets the water out once it's been rinsed thoroughly.

After I have "spun" out most of the water, I line up the rosemary on a clean dish towel and then roll them up for further drying but I am careful not to add any pressure, as that would bruise the leaves and release oil.

And here are the sprigs tied with jute string to dry in a closet.

I'm hoping later this week to have the time to take the rosemary down and strip the leaves away and store in a jar but we'll have to see.