Hen of the Month

Ginger

          Miss August is our one year old red star, Ginger.  She is very affectionate and loves to be handled. Every time we go into the coop, she follows us in. She jumps on to the perch and waits to be petted. She lays a nice deep brown egg.

First Tomatoes of the Season

Juicy sweet ruby red tomatoes
ripened to perfection

     We just started picking our first tomatoes of the season.  So far the tomato plants have been doing well.  We have used them in salads and sandwiches.  As the season progresses I will make tarts, bruschetta and panzanella.  Nothing is better than eating a tomato warmed from the sun and right off the vine.

Pickling Time

                                 These are the pickling cucumbers we grew from seeds.

We quartered them lengthwise.

                                       We made 4 quarts of dill spears and 2 quarts of bread and
                               butter chips. In the next several weeks we'll continue to pickle
                               our cucumbers.  I'm thinking about canning a zesty dill pickle by
                               adding some red hot chiles to the mix.

Fall Planting

                                              The garden is prepared for fall planting.
                                              Coming soon: cabbage, radish, lettuce, spinach
                                                                     and beets.

Onion Harvest

                                                   We harvested our first onions.
                                                    Ciopollini and Red Torpedo

Hen of the Month

   

Our Girl Ike

                     Miss July's pick of the chick is our plymouth bard rock, Ike.
                    She is our lead hen. First to the treats, first to the food & water, and first to
                    the best roosting spot at night.  She is the protector of the flock. And at four
                    years old she is still one of our best egg layers.                                    

Beet and Orange Salad with Goat Cheese

Yummy!

         




              This salad I made from the beets and lettuce in our garden.  It is absolutely delicious and easy to make. The candied walnuts gave it a nice sweet crunch.


Ingredients:                                         
4 medium beets - scrubbed             1/4 cup of orange juice      
and trimmed                                       1 tbs of balsamic vinegar
1 navel orange - sectioned              1tbs of chopped shallots 
1/3 cup of chopped walnuts             1tsp of sugar
3 tbs of maple syrup                          1/2 cup of olive oil
salad greens                                       2 ounces of goat cheese


Directions:
1.  Place the beets into a sauce pan and fill with enough water to cover.
Bring to a boil and cook for 20-30 minutes, until fork tender.  Drain and cool, 
then cut into cubes.


2.  While the beets are cooking, place walnuts in a skillet and toast over medium heat.
     Add maple syrup then cook and stir until evenly coated. Set aside and cool.


3.  In a small bowl, whisk together the orange juice, balsamic vinegar, shallots, sugar and olive oil to make the dressing.


4.  Place greens, orange wedges, beets, in a salad bowl.  drizzle with dressing and add candied walnuts and goat cheese.