Rooster Update

I know you just can't wait to hear more about our chickens! The big news is that our roosters are learning to crow! A little while back, we heard some strange croaks and squawks from the chicken coop and figured one of the roosters had found his voice box but it was not going so well! A few days later I left the chickens out in the early morning. As they did their normal mad dash for the thicket, one of the Black Australorp roosters stopped, stood on tip-toe, and left out a real honest "Cock-a-doodle-doo"! I was as proud as a mama watching her toddler take his first step!
We still need to get rid of a few roosters. Two have found new homes, and one we found dead in the coop one morning. (Any ideas of what happened?) We now have four Black Australorps and three Partridge Rocks left. We may try taking some to auction this week just to give the others more room. We never planned to have this many chickens in the coop. The roost rail is rather full.
The chickens have been coming in the garden more this week. I enjoy watching them scratch in the compost pile and stand on the fence. They haven't done much damage but Ed has convinced me they are snipping off the young corn tops. He thinks we will need to begin penning them in. Yesterday Ed built a simple movable pen. Give us a few days to use it and see what we think of our design. Then I'm sure we'll be sharing about it here!

Counting My Blessings

1. Fresh strawberries every morning, usually with shortcake or on cereal but once with waffles and freshly whipped cream! Mmmm!
2. New peas!
3. Eager helpers. (For the first half hour!)
4. A sweet happy baby. (Why won't that picture go upright?)

5. Over two inches of rain. (I won't mention what two days of constant rain did to some attitudes - children and mama! Some things are better forgotten! And the rain was wonderful!)
Now, we are home from church, just finished a wonderful lunch of grilled steak, stir-fried asparagus, salad, and strawberry pie. Looking forward to a restful afternoon!
God is so Good!

Kale Recipes

We have enjoyed trying recipes for kale. I had never eaten kale but decided to grow it because it is so pretty, that it just had to be good!

Here is few ways we've enjoyed it!

Kale Chips

I found this idea in the Family Fun magazine. The children really enjoyed these! The are so light and crispy!

Heat oven to 400 degrees. In a bowl, toss kale with a tablespoon or two of olive oil. Place kale on an oiled baking sheet. Don't overlap pieces. Sprinkle with salt. Bake until crisp, flipping halfway through. It will take about 8 minutes. Eat immediately!

Kale Breakfast Bake

I found this recipe on line somewhere long forgotten. We really enjoyed it. I am trying to add more fruits and vegetables to our diet and this is a pleasant way to get a serving of veggies in at breakfast - though I served it in the evening!

1 bunch kale, washed, dried, and chopped
1/2 red onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced (or 1 tsp. teaspoon garlic powder)
1/2 tsp. olive oil
1 tsp. soy sauce
1 C grated cheese (I used Cheddar)
1/4 cup bread crumbs
6 eggs, beaten well
1/2 tsp. seasoning salt

Preheat oven to 350F. Cut off kale stems and discard, then wash kale leaves and dry well. (I used a salad spinner.) Pile kale leaves up on top of each other and cut into strips about 3/4 inch wide, then turn cutting board the other way and cut again so you have squares just under an inch square.

Heat olive oil in large heavy frying pan, then add onions and saute 3 minutes. Add garlic and saute about 2 more minutes, then add kale, turning over as it wilts and sauteing about 5 minutes, or until kale is wilted and softened.

Gently stir all ingredients together. Pour into greased baking dish. Bake 20-25 minutes until eggs are well set and the top is lightly browned. Serve hot. This is good with sour cream or salsa.

Grandma's Strawberry Shortcake

We picked our first strawberries today! We got up a little earlier than usual and Ed picked two quart of berries while I put a shortcake in the oven! What a wonderful breakfast to start the week!

Everyone seems to have their favorite shortcake recipe and this is the one I grew up with! It is less like a cake and more like a biscuit. We love it served with milk and eat it for breakfast, lunch or supper!
Grandma's Shortcake

4 cup flour (I use half whole wheat)
1 tsp salt
3/4 cup sugar
8 tsp baking powder
6 T oil
2 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cup milk

Mix all ingredients together. Pour in two greased and floured round cake pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.

Are you picking berries? What is your favorite way to enjoy them?

Go to Tammy's Recipes for more strawberry recipes!

Bird Netting for Strawberries

In the past, our strawberries have been plagued with visits from critters. I really could not blame them! Strawberries are very good eating. I don't mind sharing but when several robins take up residence in the patch and always find the largest berries to peck at, I don't feel generous!

Saturday, Ed put netting over our berries. It only took a few minutes and I was so pleased with the results. Maybe some of you are in the same predicament, and would like to do something similar.

Ed bought a roll of black flexible water pipe from Lowes. He cut it in lengths long enough to make a large hoop over both strawberry rows. He pounded rebar into the ground and slid the pipe over the end.
Also at Lowes, we found some netting. The bird netting was in a large square. To cover our strawberries, we would have had to buy several pieces. The deer netting appeared to be similar but was in a long skinny length. (7 x 100 feet) We cut the piece in half, lined up the pieces and tied them together with string every couple feet. It then was the perfect size to cover the full length of both strawberry rows. We weighted the edges down with rocks.

A simple project but hopefully will allow us to harvest many more berries! And the supplies should be reusable for years!

For more information on growing strawberries, read what I wrote here.

Make It Yourself - Kefir

What cultured milk product is easier to make then yogurt and even more nutritious?

It takes no special tools, it does not need to be heated, and can be made with any kind of milk.

It is loaded with probiotics, beneficial bacteria, calcium, vitamins (especially B) and potassium.

Have you guessed kefir? What? Never heard of kefir? I had not myself until several years ago. I've been wanting to try it and this winter a friend shared some kefir grains with me. We've been enjoying fresh kefir ever since! And I'm finally getting around to sharing about it with you!

Kefir is a cultured milk product similiar in taste to yogurt, but the texture is thinner. Because the milk does not need to be heated, kefir is much faster and simpler to make. Personally, I don't prefer to drink/eat kefir alone. To me, it is too thick to drink and too thin to eat! But we LOVE it in smoothies and have been enjoying it at least once a week this winter and I expect we'll be having it even more often this summer! I love knowing I'm feeding my children something so full of "good stuff"! I also use it in recipes in place of buttermilk, yogurt, or sour cream. I know that in baked products, much is destroyed in the heating, but it saves a trip to the store and makes some awesome tasting waffles!

Here is how to make your own kefir!

First, get some kefir grains. You can purchase kefir starter but it will only be good for a few batches. Kefir grains can be used endlessly. The grains are rubbery and look like cauliflower. Don't visulize wheat or barley grains!
Get a glass jar and measure out your grains. You want one tablespoon of grains per cup of milk. Place the grains in the jar and then add the milk.

Cover the jar loosely and allow to set in room temperature. Do not place in direct sun. I put mine on the refrigerator so that it is out of the way but still where I can see it so it is not forgotten!

After 12 to 24 hours, the milk should be thickened and "glop" when poured out of the jar. Pour the milk in a colander and stir to separate the grains. Your kefir is ready to use! Save the grains to make a new batch! Wasn't that easy!

Notes:
Do not allow your kefir to contact anything metal. Use plastic or glass.

When first using kefir grains, you may have an adjustment period for your first batch or two. By the third batch, your kefir should be nice and thick. This also may occur when switching to a different type of milk.

If not using your kefir grains, store them in the refrigerator covered with milk. Do not allow them to dry out.

Your kefir grains will increase as you use them. You will then be able to make larger batches of kefir at a time! Or share with a friend!

All set to make kefir? I have quite a few extra kefir grains which I'd love to share with you! Let me know if you'd like them! I may be able to figure out a way to mail them - but no promises!

Gardening with Children - Bean Tents and Corn Maze

What to do with a empty plot of good soil? Last fall I tore out my herb garden. Having a little herb garden had been a dream come true but it was time for a change! (Plus I can always plant it again another year - and make it even better!)

Over the winter I dreamed of several different ideas to use that plot of soil but after reading Roots, Shoots, Buckets, and Boots by Sharon Lovelace, I was inspired to plant a children's garden!
Ed got some bamboo from our neighbor and built a simple tent frame. We planted pole beans to grow up the bamboo. Behind the "tent" we planted sunflower and corn in a simple maze pattern. At least that is the idea. The children did a lot of "helping" including the two year old who hoed wildly! I was not sure if any of the seeds were actually still where they were originally planted!
In the paths, we laid down cardboard and covered it with grass clippings for mulch. Hopefully this would keep down the weeds and allow the children to see where they were able to walk until the plants emerged.
The seeds were planted the first week of May. We also added some marigolds the children had started in the house and some dianthus and lettuce plants. Last week the corn, sunflowers and beans began to emerge, surprisingly, they are mostly in the correct places!

The children are excited about "their" garden! Check back for further updates this summer!