Meet the Bloody Butcher

Back in January, in the dark days of winter, I spent a lot of time on gardening web sites.  On a cold day it is fun to think ahead to spring and plan what new and interesting veggies to plant this year.  One of my favourite sites is Terra Edibles, which is a small garden center that specializes in heritage seeds and plants.  They carry many, many obscure varieties that I have never heard of, and it is fun to try new things each year.  

This year a variety of tomato caught my eye, intriguingly called the Bloody Butcher.  According to the description it is early, not very big, and has a rich tomato flavour.  How could I resist that?  

They have begun to ripen this week.  David requested a couple of tomato and cheese sandwiches, so out to the garden I went.

 

There were a few ripe ones.  Actually, the Bloody Butchers are the only ones even close to being ripe.  All of the other varieties are still very green. They aren't very big, about two inches in diameter.  They are about the same size as the "cocktail" tomatoes you see in the grocery store.

Although small, they do slice neatly for sandwiches.  They are nice and juicy and have a great flavour, just a little sweet. 

And, they make a great sandwich.  They would be ideal for in a salad, but they are also good just picking them and eating them right in the garden.  We will definitely be planting these again next year.

A day in the life

Yesterday was such a beautiful day that I could not resist grabbing the camera for a little show and tell.  The ducks are enjoying their new pen.  It is actually a large dog kennel, which gives them lots of space, and protection from any coyotes or other bad guys that might be lurking.

They are using a plastic sled for a pool of water.  How many ducks fit in a sled?

 We will need to get them a bigger pool. 

The white rocks are enjoying the sun.  

They still stay in the pen, but in a week or so they will be big enough to free range with the laying hens.  They love being outside in the grass, where yummy bugs can be found.

In the small coop we have six Ridley bronze turkey poults and four polish chicks.  The dark ones are the turkeys.

It would appear that two of the chicks are cockerels, which is good since we currently don't have any roosters.  This might explain why the kids sleep so late.  Or maybe not.

Isn't he handsome?

Out in the yard the layers are having breakfast.

That is Pookie in the middle.  She was one of our first chickens, and is still a favourite.

In the coop are Broody Twins #1.

After taking this picture I got three eggs from underneath them.  Then they pecked me.  Silkies may look cute and fluffy, but don't tick them off.

In the turkey coop are Broody Twins #2.

These two have been sitting on eggs since the first part of May.  Some of their chicken friends have also contributed eggs. While the chicken eggs will not hatch due to our lack of rooster, the turkey eggs are probably fertile, judging by some interesting turkey behaviour of late. 

Since we have seen coyotes in the neighbourhood lately, Oreo is on the alert.  He takes his job seriously, like a good farm dog should.

  

 Tessa can be a big help too.

But she always has time for kitty kisses.

This is our potato project.  As the summer progresses we will add wood to the sides of the frame and more soil.  We hope that the potatoes will continue to produce and we will end up with a lot of potatoes in a small area.  Next year we will make a raised bed in this spot and we will plant a strawberry patch.  The ugly orange fence keeps the chickens out.

We moved the firepit to a new location.  You can tell by the weeds that we haven't used it much this year.

Our redneck garden bench.  This one is all David, he put it there thinking the dogs might sit on it.  But they only liked it when it was in the van.  I think it's time for it to go.

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.