Leaves of three, let them be...

I love this time of year.  Spring is in full swing, the trees are once again leafy and green, and the chicken water founts don't ice up at night.  It's the perfect time for a walk in the woods.  Here in Ontario there is an added attraction in the woods this time of year.  Of course I am talking about trilliums.

From late April to early May they bloom.  The snowy white blossoms light up the woods, fluttering and swaying with the breeze.  

 Sometimes trilliums can be pink, or even dark red.  The red ones are quite rare, but we did see several pink ones on our walk.

 A lot of people think that it is illegal to pick trilliums.  That is not actually true, although they are protected in provincial parks and conservation areas.  But it does add to the mystique and makes these pretty flowers seem even more special.

  Too soon the blossoms will wither, and the plant will fade into the background. But for now they are a perfect excuse to head for the woods with a camera in hand.  But don't forget the bug repellant, because blackflies are also in season.

So what's in a quail egg anyway?

Since our quail started laying eggs we have been setting them aside.  They are so tiny that it would take quite a few to make a meal.  So, they have been accumulating and we have been admiring the pretty patterns on their shells.

As of today we have 22.  Although they are small, that should be enough, shouldn't it?

They were not easy to crack.  The shells were brittle and it was tricky to get them open without getting little pieces of shell in the mix.

As it turned out, 22 quail eggs amounted to not even a cup.  Clearly this would not be enough. 

So, I added five chicken eggs.  Now I had about two cups, enough to scramble.

They were delicious!

I think we need more quail.

First Quail Egg!

The wait is finally over.  This is what I found in the quail hutch this morning.

 For comparison, here it is next to an egg laid by Pookie this morning.  She lays pretty brown eggs that are about the same size as a large egg that you would buy in the grocery store if you were not fortunate enough to have chickens or know someone who does.

Quite a difference!  The quail eggs will get a bit bigger, but not much.  It will still take three of them to equal one chicken egg.  No quail egg omelet today I guess.  But seriously, doesn't it look like it should have chocolate inside?

 

It wouldn't be Christmas without shortbread...

Christmas Shortbread

This is a recipe that I have used for years.  It is easy and fairly quick to whip up a batch, and they are a real crowd pleaser.

 

1 lb butter (room temperature)

1 cup sugar

4 cups flour

A sweet tradition at our house.

Cream the butter and sugar together until fluffy.  Add the flour and work it in with your hands.  The warmth of your hands will help make the dough soft, like play dough.  Roll the dough to about 1/4 inch thick.  Cut the cookies using whatever shape you like.  I used a fluted cutter that was about 2" in diameter.  Put the cookies on an ungreased cookie sheet about an inch apart.  Using parchment paper will really help with clean up.  Sprinkle with a little coloured sugar for a festive look. Bake at 350F for about 10-12 minutes.  The baking time will depend on the size of your cookies and how thinly you rolled the dough.  My 2 inch cookies took 11 minutes.  It is very important to not overbake shortbread, so watch them carefully.  The edges should be just barely brown, if at all.  Some of the cookies in my picture above were a little browner than I wanted them to be, but they still tasted great.  This makes about 4 dozen 2 inch cookies.

Enjoy!

The turkey tree

Our Beltsville small white turkeys sure do get around.  There are six of them hiding in this tree.