Chicken vs Toasted Marshmallow

The chicken makes it through okay.

Now, I'm just explaining this to you because you look nervous.

Because, we can stop now if you want.

:)

Let's just quickly take a moment to reflect on, how good is The Princess Bride?

The fire pit got some good use last S'more night.  The s'mores were delicious and enjoyed by all...chickens included.

I never imagined I'd Google the phrase: "How to get marshmallow out of a chicken's feathers". Want to know something, Google doesn't have an answer for that.  WHAT?!?!  It's true.  So, here's how the night went down:

Loretta:  Mmmm, you're looking fine tonight.  Let me just have a wee nibble.

Dolly:  Fine, it's really messing up my gorgeous feathers.  Hey, no biting!

Loretta:  Yum!  I never knew how much I love marshmallows!  Hey, Starlight, get the heck out of here you fowl thing (haha), my marshmallow!

Starlight:  Whatevs, Loretta, I already called dibs...and ummmm, you've got a little something on your face...no, not there, over there... no, the other side....

Starlight:  Ohhh yeah, I am all about toasted marshmallows!  Why doesn't Heather give us this for breakfast lunch and dinner instead of that crap chicken scratch, anyway?

Loretta:  Meh, it's all yours.  Hey, anybody got a mirror?  Apparently I've got a little something on my face...anyone?  Where's a parakeet when you need one?

Starlight:  Let me just....grab...get this little bit there.

Starlight:  Ohh, it's stuck just a bit let me pull harder...Soooo yummy.  You know what would really make this?  Chocolate and Graham Crackers...Hey, I just thought up a new recipe.  I'll call them...toasted marshmallows with meltsy chocolate sandwiched between two grahams.  Yeah, that's a catchy name.  HAHA I'm a genius!  Hey, Dolly, get back here...

Ginger: Hey guys, what's going on over here?  Wait a minute, wait a minute...is that toasted marshmallow all over you?!?! Come over here Dolly!  Hey, sorry about all those times I chased you around the yard trying to eat your poop, you're my favorite chicken...hey want some of my dog food?  Come on, sharing's caring you know...

Starlight:  Get the heck out of here Ginger.  Mmm hmmm...you got just a touch back here, let me just get that...Got it!

Dolly:  Well, I feel thoroughly hen pecked.  How's my hair look?

Dolly:  Boss Hen (that's me), can I get a hand here, the gals were no help.  Thanks for nothing, ladies!

And since Google was no help either, I decided to play it by ear, but unfortunately didn't get any pictures to share as I was busy taking care of business.  So I'll paint a picture for you.

Me:  Husband, help me grab her.
Husband: What?  Are you sure that's sanitary?
Me:  Sanitary?  No, but we've got to do something.  Fine, sit there, I'll grab her.  I proceed to grab chicken, making sure to hold tight to her wings so she doesn't smack me across the face with them.
Me:  Okay, now here, take her.  Hold onto her wings! I hand chicken off to husband and run inside and grab a dish towel, get it wet and put some dish soap on it.  Warm water and dish soap gets any mess out, right?  Run back outside and scrub Dolly's feathers as best I could.  Not a great job, but better than it was, I suppose.  And, the Mister only suffered a mildly bad scratch on his hand thanks to her vicious talons.  

Next Day
Feather update: Not a sticky smudge to be found.  Dolly was clean as a whistle and the other chickens in a pleasant sugar coma.   Lesson learned...don't let the chickens get anywhere near a fallen, toasted marshmallow.

Thanks for reading!

Heather

Thanks, Chickens.

There is a lot of good that comes with having chickens.

I get gorgeous, high-quality eggs every single day in a rainbow of colors.  I know my chickens roam around, peck the ground and eat all kinds of creepy crawlies that strengthen the healthful qualities of their eggs.  I get the pleasure of watching them wander around, pecking and babbling to each other.  Watch them as they race across the yard at full speed, wings splayed, to chest butt anyone in their way.

Buuuttttt....there are some drawbacks.

If you have chickens, they will dig and scratch and make a complete disaster of your yard.  This is just part of the mess they have made.  Rocks and ground cover all over the lawn instead of where they should be, in the flower beds and borders. Thanks, chickens.

Side rant.  Do you see all the raspberries that are deciding my grass is the perfect place to spread? Yeah....not awesome.  Couldn't they spread in the flower beds where I would appreciate them?  Guess once we put all the rocks and bark back, we'll mow them down and see what happens.  Thanks, raspberries.

Back to original rant...

sigh

My gooseberry bush.  Pecked to bare branches.  Only bits of green left. If you'll notice I am trying (unsuccessfully, I might add) to keep the chickens away.  The tomato cage, T-Ball stand and one of Ginger's bowls haven't exactly turned out to be the super good gooseberry bush protectors I was hoping for.  At least they've stopped them from digging and exposing the roots.  Thanks, Chickens.

This is my hope of harvest, this bit of green.  Think I'll get a handful of berries?  Luckily the thorns are growing and maybe that will deter them.

To try and change their taste buds, I ripped off a handful of tarragon and tossed it in.  

Yay!  Snacks!!  

Wait....what the hell is this?

Come on chickens, eat the tarragon!!  You can eat all of it!  I grow it for you.

Whatever, we're totes out of here!  Come back when you've brought us some bits of ham and cucumber shavings.

Thanks, Heather!

Oh yeah, well, right back at you, thanks, Chickens!

Heather

Scrambled Eggs with Roasted Asparagus

You know I mean spring when this is on the menu at my house.

Scrambled Eggs with Roasted Asparagus.

This is a very simple recipe but don't let that fool you as to its tastiness.  The simple recipes are the best.  Sometimes.  Okay, it's me we're talking about.  I love nothing more than fancy.  But, I do love simple too.

Preheat oven to 400 F
Wash a bunch of asparagus and cut into 2 inch pieces.
Place on cookie sheet and sprinkle with olive oil and salt and pepper to taste.
Roast for about 13 minutes. You don't want it mushy, but not exactly toothsome, either.

Grab some eggs, however many you need to feed your family.  Whip them up nicely.  Put a Tbl. or so of cold buttery cut into itty bitty pieces in the eggs. Stir.  Pour this into a COLD, non stick frying pan.  Turn heat on to medium and using a rubber scraper, cook your eggs until ALMOST done.  Add your asparagus.  Continue to fold eggs and asparagus together.

Enjoy!

These are the yolks from my farm fresh eggs  See how orange they are?.  I love to see this because I know it means my chickens are running around eating all the weeds and grasses and tender baby gooseberries leaves that have just emerged after a winter when I was sure my gooseberry plant was not going to make it thanks to excessive chicken pecking the fall before,  and bugs and digging up my plants and trees until their roots are exposed and I am sure they are going to meet an untimely demise just like the gooseberries, and...well, I am happy that my chickens are nice and healthy and free ranging it.  Means my eggs are that much healthier for us.

The reason they are so orange, so I've heard, is because of the chlorophyll in plants.

Thanks for reading!

Heather

Spring Equinox means eggs!

Remember these pretty ladies from about a year ago?

Well, now they look like this...

And do this to me EVERY SINGLE DAY!  Like, four to five a day.  My kids thought they could complain about the number of egg suppers we have in a week.  I reminded them,

We have chickens!  It means we're going to eat eggs...A LOT!

They got over it pretty darn quick and I haven't heard a complaint since.

So, in honor of the Spring Equinox, I'm going to devote my  next several posts to eggs.  Oh, and since today actually is the Spring Equinox, I'm going to blow your mind with some interesting facts.  Who doesn't love a good fact?

~The word equinox is Latin and means equal night.  So, twice a year the sun crosses directly over the equator and we have the same amount of day as night.  That's today.

~Spring equinox is all about fertility.  Makes sense right, what with everything starting to grow and make babies?  Well in Germany they celebrate a spring holiday all about fertility and the Saxon fertility Goddess Eostre, who has a couple things named after her: estrogen and Easter.

~And finally, there are a couple of almost universal symbols of spring and fertility, the rabbit and the egg.  They are both used to symbolize the season in many cultures. 

So, yay spring.

Heather