Fayes' Botanic Obsession

Faye · **Posted:** Sun Jul 10, 2011 10:10 pm

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Yesterday I let the chooks out for a free range hour and I could see that they were in heaven, content and working away scratching.Well in response to that they delivered another 7 eggs and a first was the duck egg woohoo! :joy:

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I did however make a little discovery and I feel a tad embarrassed. I would like to ask you all a stupid question, wait for it, How do you tell the difference between a hen and a rooster? Yeah, you think it is easy huh!
My observation was that the white one was getting a little friendly with the hens, you know, leap frog style! I felt like I was stupid, but if you didn't have a matching partner, how would you really know, until the behaviour gave it away. Think we have two roosters, it didn't ever crow. does anyone want him, or he is worm food?

Jaymie · **Posted:** Sun Jul 10, 2011 10:59 pm

a roo usually has bigger wattles and a longer and larger comb, sometimes spurs on the insides of his legs

and an attitude :wink:

Faye · **Posted:** Mon Jul 18, 2011 12:24 am

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Winter is taking its toll on parts of the garden I am afraid. The poor scarecrow hasn't weathered the storms too well. Looking a bit bedraggled.

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Love the colours of the french breakfast radishes, harvested broccoli and growing a nice crop of stinging nettle. I know it is a weed, but I am learning to appreciate weeds. When you see the chooks rabbiting around and feasting on the wild parts of the garden you can just tell how happy it makes them, and it is infectious. In the last month two people have mentioned nettle tea, as if it is something that you would drink :crazy:

Does anyone know if this would be true? My dad hates the weeds, but it is also the food plant or attractant to a certain butterfly, therefore I will continue to cultivate it. Just found three reasons to grow one type of weed.

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Jaymie · **Posted:** Mon Jul 18, 2011 6:27 am

nettles have heaps of benefits for you. they can be used in teas, soups and such, they are high in nitrogen, magnesium and iron

http://www.herbsarespecial.com.au/free- ... ettle.html
http://www.abc.net.au/gardening/stories/s2707848.htm

Faye · **Posted:** Mon Jul 18, 2011 12:34 pm

Thanks Jaymie- Nettle pizza yummy. :thumb:

The Hopefulls · **Posted:** Wed Jul 20, 2011 11:09 pm

Never thought to put it on pizza. thanks ladies. Im a bit partial to nettle tea myself

Faye · **Posted:** Sun Aug 14, 2011 8:09 pm

Stinging nettles are apparently also given to rabbits, dry them out and wrap with apple tree prunings in a toilet roll. (I wonder if rabbits eat grape vine prunings because I will have lots of them soon.) Rabbits love to play with them and chew on the prunings, which is good for their teeth. Yet to try that one in my spare time.
I was not well enough to garden today, cough, splutter, so decided to take it easy, cooking and eating healthy. This morning we had a lovely omelette with parsley, spring onions, ham, cheese and rich golden eggs. (Still need a pig and a goat to supply everything we need, Eddy says no.) :dunno:

We are accumulating eggs so I made pasta dough, Eddy took over and turned it in to fettucine and lasagne sheets with his pasta machine christmas present. :thumb:

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The pumpkin soup turned out pretty well and was loaded with garlic to ward off those evil spirits. Picked three red capsicums from the AP system, (don't they know it is winter) and made a sun dried tomato, capsicum and cashew nut dip as well as a cream cheese sun dried tomato dip and then custard. I had an attempt at making mayonnaise, but I don't think it went well, I thought I could save money making my own but as the recipe called for half a bottle of grapeseed oil, and was runnier than I wanted, things are not looking good.

earthbound · **Posted:** Sun Aug 28, 2011 10:34 pm

So haven you eaten some of those nettles yet?

Faye · **Posted:** Sun Aug 28, 2011 10:36 pm

earthbound wrote:

So haven you eaten some of those nettles yet?

Pfft still thinking about it, have you got any good recipes Joel?? Do you want to have a cook off? :wink:

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The chooks just love being able to graze and have rewarded us with many, many eggs which we are giving away. Today I made a quiche, scones and pavlova. The quiche had rainbow chard and parsley from the AP system and I added bacon milk and onion to the eggs. See told you all that I still need a cow and a pig, or a goat and a pig. Oh well maybe in the next life. The garden is relatively bug free at the moment, which is a little bit average for my liking, although I did come across a frog when I was weeding today and for that matter the first bobtail of the season last week when I was mowing, ouch that is another not nice story :bash:

The (black) Australorps have been getting severely harrassed by the white pekin drake, he pecks around their head and holds them against their will, so they have been relocated to the shop for safe keeping and to breed with their own kind.

iammr.bill · **Posted:** Wed Sep 07, 2011 4:56 am

Where can I buy one of Faye's Magnificent Cookbooks? What, you haven't written one yet?

Great gardens. Real nice to see someone utilize their land and growing spaces the way you do. And excellent photography as well.

Faye · **Posted:** Wed Sep 07, 2011 12:39 pm

iammr.bill wrote:

Where can I buy one of Faye's Magnificent Cookbooks? What, you haven't written one yet?

LOL That made by day Mr Bill :wave:

I don't think my recipes are very original, can't claim to being that creative.
The next e-book to come out is bugs and insecst in aquaponics or chooks.
I will keep you posted Mr :thumb:

Bill

Faye · **Posted:** Thu Sep 08, 2011 6:53 pm

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As you can see we are doing very well with the egg supply at present and so I have had to cook them or give them away. The basket of eggs was from yesterday, which includes a duck egg and a mega egg. I made the favourite quiche and the club sandwich using the Tupperware jelly mould which is layered with alternative slices of white and wholemeal bread with layers of mashed duck eggs with mayonnaise, asparagus spears and then shaved ham, garnished with parsley. Sliced and served up for Fathers day at my sisters place.

Faye · **Posted:** Thu Sep 08, 2011 6:54 pm

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Just the standard sunday morning scones with an egg added to try and use them up. Also made a pavlova, sorry no pics for that one :dunno:

iammr.bill · **Posted:** Thu Sep 08, 2011 11:57 pm

OK, that's it. You are not allowed to use the words "just" and "only" in your descriptions of food anymore.

Note to self: start looking for Faye's recipe thread.

Just sold off 18 chickens that were our yard bug control. They ran loose and roosted in the trees. Still have about 15 more or so, not counting the girls setting on eggs. No idea where they are.

Have a chicken condo and a pen and we gather eggs everyday, so lots of eggs in the fridge. Need recipes. Running out of things to make with eggs. Will have to make some pasta and freeze it for later. Hope it tastes alright.

Faye · **Posted:** Sun Sep 11, 2011 4:53 pm

Found some more stuff to do with eggs Mr Bill.

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Pavlova is still in the oven must be home in 1/2 hour, should look better with strawberries and cream on top.

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This is what is known to us as impossible pie, quiche like but by adding plain flour it forms a pretend base instead of using pastry.
This was a triumphant day for me as around 10 years ago the dream was to have a large property with chickens and home grown stuff, think I got too busy with the garden. My aim was to a cook sponge cake and today was the day :thunbs:

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Still got one idea up my sleeve so there will be another dessert hopefully sooner rather than later.

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