Chickens – Joanne Jamis Cain

October 23, 2014

What’s in the Purple Bowl?

A few years ago we had a bonfire on the hill behind our house. It was a grand affair with many friends and lots of good food. When it was all said and done, there remained behind a purple plastic bowl, the kind you get in a dollar store around Halloween.

Since then, the purple bowl has had a place in our refrigerator. In it go all the leftover scraps of stale bread, ends of tomatoes, leftover peas, salad and any other type of greens or vegetable. Can you guess what we do with this bowl?

Our one dozen chickens are the lucky recipients of the treasure of the bowl!

When I come out of the back door with the bowl, they all come running. I’m guessing they don’t see that well (or are they colorblind?), but strangely enough they see well enough to recognize that purple bowl.

“The girls” as we have fondly dubbed them, peck away at the contents and sometimes fight over seeds (like from the inside of a cantaloupe) or especially something tasty like raspberries. Once I actually saw one of the chickens grab a raspberry and RUN like a bat out of the night, to keep any other girlfriend from getting her prize.

If you remember an old post of mine, I was not happy when the chickens originally came a few years ago. Since then, I have softened quite a bit and will oftentimes let them out of their coop in the evening to stretch their legs. I give our yellow lab/retriever Jordan a fresh egg because she is their watchdog. We live next to a large woodsy area and she is their sentry, watching for any signs of trouble.

I ate a few more eggs this summer than normal and was wondering if my cholesterol count at my recent physical would register the increase. Thank God it was normal, yes normal!, so my sunny side up egg ritual can continue.

I’m not sure where you live but if you have some backyard space you might want to consider getting some chickens. We don’t have a rooster; we had one and they make too much noise. But chickens are relatively easy to raise if you get a couple of good books and peck the brain of someone who already has them. Chances are you know someone who has some! Make sure you have a strong, sturdy coop, especially if you live near the woods. Chickens are a delicacy for woodland animals!

Our chickens are entertainment when we have guests over. During the summer after dinner, we’d sit on lawn chairs in the back yard, sipping iced or hot coffee and let the girls loose. They run and chase each other, dig in the dirt and peck at bugs and plants. You have to watch them if you have a garden though. They’ll eat your prize tomato if it’s just the right height. 😉

Part of a having a simple life is to get down to basics. I’ve learned to appreciate food when I can see its source; where it comes from and what went into its growth. It’s good to know that I can eat a fresh egg whenever I want, and I appreciate that.

Another chicken loving friend of mine turned me onto this great website for more information. Check out Fresh Eggs Daily and learn more.

Blessings,

Joanne

April 26, 2014

Michelene’s Angel Food Cake

She is really my first guest blogger! Give a big welcome to my daughter Michelene, who wrote this little egg story about her and her brother’s first attempt at a delicious angel food cake!

Michelene writes:

Having backyard chickens is a joy and really spoils us with always having fresh eggs on hand. Sometimes there are so many eggs, we make and freeze quiches or find other recipes to make the most of our hen’s bounty.

One such day my 9-year-old son, my brother, and I, were combing recipes and came across one for homemade angel food cake. Instantly thoughts of heavenly fluff began to inundate our senses and we excitedly gathered the arsenal of tools to complete the mission. The recipe called for twelve egg whites (which we had readily available) and we began separating them out one egg at a time. Next came the lengthy process of slowly adding sugar to the whisking whites. This part of the recipe cannot be rushed and we studiously observed the expanding peaks of fluffy mountains while dreaming of the finished product.

The beautiful circular fluted pan was buttered and ready for the angelic folds of snowy mountains. We counted down the minutes as the oven ticked away, cutting berries and discussing what we were going to top our slice with. When the moment came to take it from the oven: all eyes in the room were on the most gorgeous angel food cake we had ever seen. Our patience and hard work paid off with a golden and white cake that was the fluffiest I had ever eaten. We topped it sparingly with our chosen ingredients and indulged in the delight our eggs had brought us.

We settled in to relax and watch a show on TV when suddenly a strange noise came from the kitchen. We all looked at each other, eyes wide in horror. We knew our dog Jordan was up to something. As a 65-pound lab she does not often get into trouble but when she does she makes it memorable. Racing around the bend to the kitchen our fears were confirmed. Jordan must have shared our excitement of that afternoon and couldn’t resist tasting the cake for herself. The meager remains of crumbs and a few scattered, unsalvageable pieces were all that was left of our angel food cake. We laughed and counted ourselves lucky to have had both a cooking adventure and a slice of paradise before the dog had her day.

Can’t you just taste that cake?! If you want to try and make this fluffy cake yourself, click HERE for the link to the recipe!

January 14, 2014March 12, 2014

Egg-actly Wonderful!

Photo Courtesy of Sunday Child — All Photos Courtesy of Sunday’s Child

“People who love to eat are always the best people.”
― Julia Child

I have a confession to make. When my husband wanted to raise chickens a few years ago, I was not in favor of it.

Yes, it’s true. I pictured my grandfather’s chicken coop, messy and scary with cackling chickens all around my feet, just scaring the beeswax out of me.

Well, here I am all these years later, admitting the truth. I love fresh eggs. Jim and our daughter Michelene have kept their word and they’ve taken good care of the chickens, all without any responsibility on my part. That was the other thing I was wary of. That the care of the chickens would become my responsibility.

Nothing of the sort has happened. And in the meantime the delicious yellow yolks, bright as sunshine, coupled with the delicate white have graced our table many times. In any way shape or form, the eggs are delicious. Scrambled or sunny side up with a side of toast, or cracked into the latest cake, those eggs have become a part of our lives.

Now some of you know I have been blessed to have a blogger friend on the west coast, Sunday’s Child. She began her own love affair with chickens last year! She has an awesome coop and has just embraced the whole chicken raising thing, chick and caboodle.

Recently, Ms. Child began to place her light brown or green eggs amongst her pitcher collection or in other very creative places and snap beautiful artistic pictures. The juxtapositioning of the eggs! The beauty of the pitchers! The sunny yellow of the daffodils! My oh my, my heart was singing!

I casually mentioned to Ms. Child that she ought to consider a coffee table book with those spectacular pictures, alongside say some great egg stories and perhaps some yummy egg recipes. At first she said, “Haha, funny, yes, you and I would be the only ones buying the book!”

But then her friends started to tell her the same thing. I sent her an email and she said someone had mentioned the coffee table book idea to her right before I did. (I think there are no coincidences!)

So we are exploring this idea of an artistic, yet country style EGG BOOK. What do you think? Are you an egg lover yourself? Do you have an inspiring egg story to share? Better yet, do you have an original or favorite egg recipe that you’ve made for years? Believe me the simplier the better. I love easy recipes.

Please share your thoughts and ideas with us. If you want to email me privately at katherinesdaughter@gmail.com, that’s fine. If not, leave a comment below and I’ll know egg-actly how you feel!