Old Home Day

July 3, 2013

My small town (population around 5,000) celebrates Old Home Day on the Saturday before July 4th. It’s one of the best things about living here, and I make a point of staying put over the holiday. I’ve missed fewer than a half-dozen in the more than twenty years that I’ve lived in this town. There’s an ice cream social, a pet show, a frog jumping contest, a country fair with booths selling cotton candy, trail maps, and crafts (I was there with my Vintage Chicken Photographs postcard book and bags made from feedsacks.) There’s a ceremony honoring citizens, and the Minute Men fire off muskets. There’s even a soap box derby and a dunking booth!

It wouldn’t be a celebration without a parade. Ours doesn’t allow politicians. There are no marching bands. A horse and an American flag leads off.

There are floats. Sort of.

The Cub Scouts throw candy to the cheering ~~crowds~~ people (it seems as if half of the population is in the parade, so there aren’t that many folks lining the route.)

People dance down the street (this group raises money to support the school.)

There are vintage cars and our new fire truck (driven by the only on-call, volunteer firefighters in the county.)

It’s so exciting that most everyone takes a nap in the afternoon, and then returns to town for the Chicken BBQ at the fire station and then the CAKE WALK. A cake walk is like musical chairs, but the winner gets a cake.

The cakes are donated by people who go to the cake walk. This year, 89 were dropped off at the town hall. For 50¢ you get a chance to win. I won!

On July 4th I’ll be at a friend’s cookout. I’m bringing a huge green salad (my lettuce is at its peak) and deviled eggs. Do you have plans? Let me know!

Phoebe’s Choice

July 2, 2013

The rabbit hutch was old, and this past week of high humidity and heat finally did it in. Ants were using it as a highway, and earwigs moved into the hay. Everyday I replaced the hay and everyday the insects returned. Phoebe let me know that she had no intention of going into the hutch unless forced. I didn’t blame her.

The old rabbit house was thrown out and replaced with a clean, dry and comfy (or so I thought) newer hutch. The chickens checked it out and declared it excellent.

Ancient Twinkydink said that it was about time that she was given a ramp into a nesting box. She’s now laying an egg in there every three days. Not bad for an 8-year old hen!

Phoebe said, The chickens are welcome to it! She saw no reason to go into the hutch during the day. Rabbit pellets are uninteresting to her compared to what else can be found. There’s usually greens and woody things to chew on in the compost pile.

Inside are more greens in the treat holder.

There’s room to run, which gets the goats going, too.

Like Candy did, Phoebe uses the corner of the pen as a litter box. Bunnies are tidy. (The goats and chickens could learn something from her!)

It’s been hot and humid, and the concrete floor of the coop is cooling. Phoebe found the perfect spot underneath the nesting boxes. She convinced Buffy to vacate the premises, and none of the other hens think to bother her there. There’s plenty of room to sit up and groom.

She’s moved the shavings to the side so that she can stretch out and stay cool.

Letting Phoebe making use of the full coop and run during the day is fine with me, but I wanted her to sleep in the hutch at night. I didn’t want her on the floor with the chicken manure. I worried that in the morning, when all of the chickens came off of the roosts, that it would be too crowded and that she’d be subject to pecking. I wanted her in her hutch, where she’d have hay to eat at night (rabbits stay busy in the dark.) But, those are all of my worries and wants. Phoebe didn’t share them. She wants to sleep on the concrete floor. She likes the company of the hens. She likes the hubbub in the coop in the morning. I listened to her arguments (for a silent rabbit, she’s quite clear in her communication) but was still not entirely convinced. Then my son pointed out that the mosquitos were bothering her at night in the hutch, but that they weren’t in the coop (the hens eat them.) Phoebe had made her choice, and finally I was fine with it. She can sleep in the coop. I’ll leave the hutch in the run. It’s a good place for her food and hay. Who knows, maybe she’ll decide that in the winter the concrete floor is too cold and she’ll move in. I’ll be listening to her. She’s a smart rabbit.

Roasted Hakurei Turnips

July 1, 2013

This is the first year that I’ve grown Hakurei Turnips.

They’re nothing like the cold-weather crop turnips that I’m familiar with. This is a Japanese variety that has the moisture and crunch of an Asian apple, and in fact is so mild that it can be eaten raw. It’s reminiscent of a radish without the tang.

I harvested a bowlful, and also pulled a few young carrots that needed to be thinned. Although the turnip greens are edible, I’m awash in chard, lettuce and kale, and so fed the tops to the chickens. Phoebe and the goats got the carrot tops, which made them all quite happy.

I sliced the turnips in half, tossed them with one tablespoon of olive oil and dusted with salt and freshly ground pepper. I put them onto a baking sheet in a single layer and placed in a 425 degree F oven for 8 minutes. Then, I turned them over and baked for another 10 minutes. Because they contain so much water, you want to roast them quickly, at high heat. If cooked more slowly, they’d turn to mush. When done, they look like this:

I could have done a fancier preparation, and roasted them in a dressing of maple syrup, mustard and soy. But, at the beginning of the summer bounty, I crave simple recipes in which the vegetables themselves are the stars, and so just simply roasted them. Serve at room temperature with a drizzle of the best balsamic vinegar that you can afford.

For lunch today, I’ll have a salad with lettuce and these vegetables, tossed with feta cheese. But, as much as I like these Hakurei turnips, I think that I prefer the regular purple tops. I’m going to buy a packet of seeds today and plant them. They should be ready to pull by October.

Bluebirds

July 1, 2013

After my experience with the American Robins and the mites, you might think that I’d wish all of the wild birds would leave my yard, but that’s not how I feel at all. I just don’t want them on my porch or in my barns. Yes, there’s an inherent risk that my hens will be in contact with their wild feathered cousins and contract a disease or parasites. But, prudent management (without going overboard and locking the hens up) minimizes the likelihood that my flock will be endangered. I’m happy to provide homes for bluebirds.