And Two in the Buff
August 26, 2008|Comments (20)
Well, not exactly in the buff… but they are Buff Orpingtons. Buff Orpingtons are one of my most favorite breeds because they are dual purpose birds. Originally developed by William Cook in 1886, these sassy birds are known for laying wonderful large brown eggs, growing quite large to produce delicious meat, and being very intelligent. If I were to select one breed to have in my backyard forever and ever… these would be the ones I would choose.
Friendly, gentle, and even playful, these birds will be perfect to introduce our future children to raising and caring for chickens. Most children don’t have much experience with chickens these days, so it’s fairly safe to assume that these chickens will be a first. Since these chickens lay through the winter, the children will get to experience collecting eggs whenever they arrive at our home. And who doesn’t love fluffy, buttery looking chickens?
Wait… Did I really just call them buttery? What next? Shall I name them “au vin” and “marsala”? I have crossed a new line in chicken ownership. And I have witnesses.
Apple Red Cabbage
August 26, 2008|Comments (13)
So, I have to tell you that red cabbage with apples is one of my all-time most favorite things. From the stove top to the table, it is a treat to the senses. It’s like candy only better because it contains both a fruit and a vegetable so we can pretend that it is actually good for us. And, it is ridiculously easy to make. Did I say ridiculously? Oh, good. Because that’s exactly right.
Ingredients:
- 1/2 head of rinsed red cabbage, cut into thin strips
- 4-5 Tablespoons salted butter
- two sweet apples (I like Fuji) peeled, cored and chopped
- Splash of apple cider vinegar, red wine vinegar, or lemon juice
- 2 cups chicken stock, apple cider, apple juice or red wine
- 3 Tablespoons seedless raspberry jam, currant jelly, or apricot preserves
- ground cloves
Melt butter in a thick-bottomed kettle and add cabbage. Toss cabbage in butter and let cook until shiny and the color brightens. Add apple slices.
Pour chicken stock (or whatever you decide to use) and vinegar/lemon juice over the apples and cabbage. Sprinkle with some ground cloves. Stir and cook until the apples and cabbages are nice and soft. Add cloves and cook a little longer. When the cabbage is done, add the jam and a little more ground clove. Inhale. Sneak a bite or two. Bask in the wonderful warm scent of this gorgeous dish. Serve and gorge.
*moan*
Myopic Gardening in the Rain
August 26, 2008|Comments (8)
Is there anything so completely knock-your-stockings-off gorgeous as a garden in the rain? When faced with the gentle showers of August in Georgia, I think Shakespeare might have written more sonnets about raindrops on waxy gardenia leaves instead of rattling on about love. Not that he rattled. Just that if he’d taken one look at my garden this morning, he’d have forgotten all about his muses.
A rainy garden always makes me feel as though I have come upon something unreal and dreamlike. Oh, to spend the morning lost in a garden and investigating each leaf through the lens of my camera in close-up mode! Each drop can be counted and fully appreciated. Each dripping tomato photographed like a crime scene. Not a single detail escapes this detective.
And the spider webs… well, there simply aren’t words to express the joys of finding those glittering strands of silk, heavy but undamaged by the rain. This particular web wrapped around the branches of a shrub in the front garden Why there, I wonder? The artist could not be found for comment –
What is the payoff for clumsily sorting tiny seeds, careful planning, backbreaking labor, and hours of peeling, blanching, and canning? Joseph Murphy said it best:
“Infinite riches are all around you if you will open your mental eyes and behold the treasure house of infinity within you. There is a gold mine within you from which you can extract everything you need to live life gloriously, joyously, and abundantly.”
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