My 33rd Birthday.

From the country...

1st hatch out of the incubator

New GORGEOUS earrings that I adore.

Went out for noodles.

1 of 2 Mason bee houses that I am SUPER excited about.

Well, look at me thirty three. Not old but certainty not a young wipper snapper either.

32 sounded cooler and 23 sounded even better.

I like getting older though believe me, I appreciate the maturity that has found me.  I feel that you get better with age- more so in your mind.

Man, I wish I had that 23 yr old body...

So my incubator has been rocking all week long and my brooder is full of little chicks. It doesn't stop there though, I already have a new hatch on and am always on the prowl for something new and exciting in the poultry world. Right now I have my eye on a Speckled Americauna rooster to bring home to my ladies and have some Speckled Sussex and Silver Laced Wyandott eggs in the incubator. Also bought myself this new poultry book to add to the library. I highly endorse the Storey's series.

My sis bought and sent me these amazing earrings that I am very in love with. I am not as fond of material things as I once was but man do I love these earrings. They look like the top half of an Easter egg.

We went out for an authentic Chinese dinner. The kids thought we actually were going to China, even though we tried explaining we were only going to China town. Lucas kept asking if we were back in Canada on the way home. We ate at the Pacific Mall in Markham at a place that came recommended for making their own noodles.  It was good, the noodles were fresh and we enjoyed watching and hearing the thwack of the dough being shmacked on the counter while the noodles were being made. We ate in a food court and out of one use plastic bowls and cutlery which was a drawback but the dumplings were really good and I LOVE baby bok choi in a noodle soup. The black bean and bok choi dish was really fresh and tasty too.

My lil' family presented me with 2 Mason Bee homes yesterday morning. It is my first foray into beekeeping. I am very excited to make another space for pollinators at the farm. I want to find a way to have them close to the new orchard that we are putting in this year. I have some research ahead of me to best accommodate these little wonders.

So while my sis is jet setting to Regina to attend the Juno Awards and all the partying that comes with being a wife to a very talented member of an amazing Juno nominated band, I will be attending my first farm auction of the year.

How very different our lives are.

33 here I come.

Some Toronto Chefs, Two Farmers, a Whack of Kids and Whole Bunch of Birds to Butcher.

From the City..

I spent a week at the farm while Simon was on tour out east and I lucked out that this little butcher-fest was going down while I was there.  I think roughly 20 birds were killed, plucked and hung, oh and of course, a couple were cooked over a fire pit and eaten.

Quail, chicken, roasted eggplant, fresh tomatoes and bitter greens and little hands coming in for some melon.

Theo and I are tagging along with Sime this weekend for the last festival of the summer.  We'll be camping and eating festival food and listening to live music and dancing and staying up late and laughing with our band family.  All good ways to send off the summer and welcome the fall.

Hope your long weekend does the same.
amelia

Chicken Butchery 101

From the City...

One of the most economical ways to buy organic chicken is to buy it whole and butcher it up yourself, it's also a very good life lesson that everyone should learn (this is almost a direct quote from my brother in law Mark and damn-it if the bugger wasn't right). This chicken cost me $11 and made three meals. Barbeque chicken on Monday night, chicken salad sandwiches on Tuesday for lunch and chicken soup for dins that night.

It really didn't take long either. The whole process of cutting the chicken took me maybe 15 minutes tops. So you can't really use that as an excuse. A whole chicken is going to take a good hour (at least ) to cook but cut up, it took me only 20 minutes on the bbq. Not too bad, not too bad at all.

Here are some pics on the process and yes, I did get chicken guts on my camera and have to wash it.

Slice down the one side of the breast bone.

Crack open and place your knife down the spine starting at the legs.

Voila, one chicken, two halves ready for the bbq.

Bowl o' chicken ready for cooking. I took the skin off but don't tell Mark, he'll think its sacrilege.

Here's a video that'll help you out.

**yes, I do realize the above pic is of a rooster Laura. Thank you for noticing.

Dead Rooster Walking

From the country…

On Friday of last week we killed chickens. Two roosters to be exact. After months of watching the hens being heckled by these horny hooligans, we decided that Friday was the day. I obviously wasn’t looking forward to it and the thought of having to be the right hand women in the process made me groan. I would have to pin the roosters down while Mark chopped their heads off. I would not be hiding in the house this year, waiting for the deed to be done and then venturing out to do the plucking and cleaning. Nope, I would have to be an accomplice to chickenslaughter.

I went through a slew of emotions and felt slightly nervous but I wanted to prove to myself that this could and should be done. That if I was to raise these birds for meat and eggs; I should be involved in their death. Just like my Granny. When she was a child this was life, it was second nature, there were no doubts in order to eat you had to take a life. So I empowered myself with this logic and with the trust of Mark’s clever chopping ability, together we did the deed.

Was it pleasant? Uh no, but it was fast. The job was done in seconds, the roosters were dancing on the lawn headless, and the water was boiling. After a brief dunk in hot water, we plucked feathers, singed hairs, cut out innards, and had the birds dressed and in the freezer in no time.

Early last Friday morning, I threw kosh into the wind, got in touch with my heritage, and put some meat into the freezer. Just how it should be, at least for myself anyway.The foot of a Black Australorp Rooster.

Early Evening Dust Bath

From the country...

Dinner Last Night

From the country...

Here is a trick to make a roast chicken dinner super yummy. Take a couple cloves of garlic and smash em, add butter (I know right?), sea salt and whatever dried herb you have (I used rosemary) Then smear the butter concoction between the skin and the breast of the bird. Pan sear on all sides and place into the oven. The garlic infuses through the meat of the bird and the butter (aside from being buttery deliciousness...) really crisps the skin. Try it out!