SCRAMBLED

EVERYONE who has chooks in the back yard reckons their girls produce the best cackleberries with which to make scrambled eggs.

As do I.

And I'm going to put my money where my mouth is and give you the recipe:

2 freshly laid eggs
1/2 cup of milk
mushrooms
tomatoes
fresh baby spinach
fresh basil leaves - chopped roughly
olive oil
Salt and pepper
Sourdough bread

Beak eggs add milk and combine until fluffy
Place a splash of olive oil in the pan
Add chopped mushrooms, tomatoes and half  the basil and gently toss until cooked
Place bread in toaster or even better, under the grill
Carefully pour in egg mixture over the mushrooms and tomatoes, sprinkle salt and pepper to taste then using a spatula, push the mixture back on itself as it cooks
When cooked place spinach on toast then lift scrambled eggs on toast
Enjoy!

FREE RANGE ID WIN

CHOICE, the consumer's lobby today announced their key wins for consumers in 2013, including the NSW Department of Fair Trading announced in December that it would champion a national crackdown on dodgy free-range egg labelling after CHOICE made a complaint earlier in the year.

This is an important step towards an enforceable free-range egg standard in Australia.

If you can, consider having a couple of chooks in your backyard.

Here's the label for the egg-cess bounty from my feather riot...

Gidget’s Cluckingham Palace

Fresh laid free range eggs from the happy hens: 

Gidget, Layne. Ledger, Laura and Hilda.

HAPPY HENS

KEEPING your backyard chooks happy is the key to getting great eggs.

 

Ensuring they have a constant supply of cool and clean fresh water, food and a relaxed environment all make those cackleberrries extra-good.

 

Free-range is the go but foxes, even in urban areas, can be a problem.

 

Lat night a galpal on acreage at Bellbrae called to say her flock of hens were being stalked by a fox. So confident was this it predator, it was even turning up while she only 10m away putting out the washing!

 

Now she is going to build a totally enclosed run to keep them safe.

 

 

As my yard backs onto the Bellarine rail trail which can seem to be a fox highway at times, so I don't allow the gals out in the garden unless I'm there.

CRY FOWL OVER NEW EGG-SHARING LAWS

ALL states bar Victoria will affected by new regulations to come in next year which may mean the end to the sharing of backyard eggs.

An article in the WEEKLY TIMES said from November, selling, trading or giving away eggs produced in your backyard could be banned.

Well, I for one am appalled.

This is serious as it means that backyard chook keepers like me who give away eggs (and those who also sell), will have our egg trading restricted.

My hens produce 4-5 eggs a day and the majority are given to friends who are unwell or I use them in my baking.

The WT article said all states and territories have signed the Australian New Zealand Food Standards Code and each state has had to draft its own legislation.
It added so far Victoria has an exemption from the stamping requirement until November 25 next year and an ongoing exemption for duck and quail eggs.

Eggs ain't eggs

GOLDEN-HUED yolks.

Whites so firm they half meringue without the mixmaster.

A taste so complex yet simple, you have to be there. Sponges so light they practically float off the plate. Creamy, scrambled eggs and cakes with an extra dimension of deliciousness. 

Yep, I'm talking about home-grown eggs. Or should i say home-harvested?

 

Whatever the name, these eggs are sensational.

I know I'm biased but the people whom I pass on some of my extra cackleberries say the same.

My flock of five girls (Hilda, Layne, Gidget, Ledger and Laura) average four to five eggs a day and they reflect their mostly free-range lifestyle. I let them out ta dawn and shut them back up around 7.30am before i head off to work.

Arriving home around 5.45pm, they are again released to wander across the lawn and encouraged to turn over land which will be another veggie bed come the weekend. 

They are fed lots of food scraps, oodles of fresh greens and have access to clean, cool water on top of their usual pellets. They are loved and have their own fox-proof hutch and fully enclosed run my friends refer to as Cluckingham Palace. And they are so worth it.

Hilda and her posse are a wonderful  mixture of bug-eaters, fertilisers and magic producers. I says magic because their eggs are fantastic. 

Nothing beats your own eggs and my feather riot, rescue chooks all, are up there with the best.

If you have room and you don't need much, consider getting a couple of hens and you'll be amazed at how your cooking and your garden is transformed.

Cock-a-hoop

CHOOKS are one of nature's vacuum cleaners for the garden.

After running the hand mower over the back lawn last weekend, the feather riot ran round eating many of the insects and grubs thrown up by the cut grass.

This weekend I'll be finally digging in the new vegetable bed which as an extra door from the chook run opening directly into one of the beds.

This means the gals will be able to spend a few days turning over the soil for me and adding their own extra fertiliser.

Not only do the girls wolf down creepy-crawlies, they also love eating all the fresh scraps which would otherwise go in the compost bins.

They beat the hell out of a Dyson with their gorgeous cackleberries too.

Crumble

RHUBARB and apple crumble is one of the delights of late winter.

There's something about making the buttery smell as it cooks in the oven and it's one of the few dishes which actually tastes as good as the fragrance suggests.

Mmmm!

Last Saturday night my gardening and hen-keeping friend Madeleine made one her fabulous crumbles and she and Barrie invited a few friends around for dinner.

The rhubarb, apples and eggs in the crumble are fresh from their garden - what a delicious treat!

Madeleine with Violet

Keep QLD free-range

CHOICE, the consumer advocacy group note the Queensland government has stealthily scrambled its own free-range standard by increasing stocking densities to 10,000 birds per hectare.

Until recently, regulations in Queensland said that stocking densities for 'free-range' eggs must not be more than 1,500 birds per hectare.

That means they have increased densities by 667%!

Consumers who choose to buy free-range eggs should be able to do so with confidence.


Currently the Model Code has a maximum of 1,500 birds per hectare. T

his Code is now undergoing a review, however the decision by Queensland undermines these efforts.

Send your email to the Queensland government and let them know that 10,000 birds per hectare is not free-range!

Scrambled not stirred

FRESH eggs collected from under the hen make one of the best breakfasts.

This morning I made scrambled eggs with pepper and basil.

Bliss.

Just take on egg and beat with a hand beater.

Add some cream or milk and beat gently

Sprinkle in some chapped basil

Put the rye bread in the toaster (or better, on a grill pan)

Pour the egg mixture in a non-stick pan greased with butter

Push the mixture into the centre of the pan until almost cooked

Slide onto the toast and add some cracked pepper.

Thanks girls.

Winter breakfasts

WINTER is the time to enjoy really nourishing breakfasts.

 

For me, brekkers is the best meal of the day.

 

Starting with great coffee. I don't have a machine, but a friend makes the best darn press-cafe I've ever enjoyed.

 

Pancakes made with my hens eggs and lemons from the neighbours = yum

Followed by porridge with low-fat high-taste Greek yogurt, blueberries and passionfruit or scrambled egg with thyme and spinach on good sourdough or a stack of half wholemeal and half regular flour pancakes, I feel ready to get through the rest of the day.

Hens escapades

THIS morning while attempting to drag out with a metal rake the eggs the chooks had laid under the hutch, a couple of cheeky chooks made a run for it.

Out the open chock run door they skipped, chortling with glee as they headed off to the spinach seedlings with all kinds of greedy visions flashing through their minds.

However, some timely intervention by the chap with a few pellets soon had them corralled back where they belonged.

While all this drama was going on, I was pulling out those beautiful eggs, but only six.

The gals normally produce four or five a day, so only six for three days worth means either they are holding out (going off the lay) or hiding the cackleberries.

Grrr.

So this weekend I'll be doing a thorough hutch and run tidy to look for hidden treasures while the hens free-range.

Pancakes please

PANCAKES are the perfect autumn and winter weekend breakfast.

After a bracing surf or cycle down the Great Ocean Road - or even a sleepy stroll to get the newspapers - siting down to pancakes made with fresh eggs from the chooks is always a great meal to start the day.

Saturday's pancakes ready to enjoy.

Versatile too.

You can add blueberries to the mix or serve them on the side.

Instead of butter, lemons and sugar or maple syrup, I'm a sucker for no-fat Greek yogurt and a handful of berries. Or a splash of real-deal maple syrap.

Here's the recipe - if you like your flapjacks on the fluffy side then add 1/2 cup more flour or if you like them more crepe-like then add a splash more milk.

This recipe makes heaps - they freeze well but I usually give any leftovers to the hens.

2 fresh eggs
3 cups milk
3/4 cup wholemeal SR flour
3/4 cup plain flour

Get out the medium sized Sunbeam mixmaster
Beat the eggs, add milk
Gently add flours
Mix until resembles cream
Let it sit for a few minutes
Cook in a pan with a little oil or butter, flip when one side is all bubbly. (If cooking for a few friends, then I'll use two pans to keep things moving.)
Enjoy!

Sunday brunch

FRESH from the oven Saxon Hot Cross Buns from 3RRR were a great success - a nice and chewy texture with the cranberries and orange peel giving the buns a lovely fragrance.

Best enjoyed fresh from the oven or toasted

However, Sunday brunch is not just about buns at the Jan Juc Surf Shack.

No sireee.

The preferred brunch menu during autumn can range from rolled oats porridge with some blueberries, Greek yogurt and passion fruit - low cost high taste - through to pancakes with lemons from the neighbours and sugar, or sourdough toast with Darryl's Dry Roasted Peanut Butter which it leaves the others which are way too oily in it's wake like steeplechaser Moss Trooper racing against the donkeys. 

Another favourite is poached eggs from the gals on sourdough with fresh spinach and corriander.

Hot fresh coffee is not optional, as are the Sunday papers and back issues of the New Yorker.

Meanwhile, the feather riot are served left-over pancakes or toast, before allowed out to chase insects.

Any leftover buns will be toasted by the fire and eaten later.

Rhubarb, rhubarb, rhubarb...

RHUBARB and ginger pie is my new favourite treat.

After baking the rhubarb and ginger pie recipe I mentioned yesterday, I am happy to report the result while not looking as Martha-Stewarty as the recipe indicated, it tasted pretty darned fabulous.

My Ginger Rodger Pies - thankfully they taste better than they look!

Being dead simple to cook is a huge bonus too.

As I only had around 300g of rhubarb, I halved the recipe. (I'll confess to using prepared pastry as i was short of time having to dash off to hoof about the dance floor shortly after commencing cookery.) 

The pies came bubbling out of the oven just before I went to ballroom dancing classes and have been christened Ginger Rogers Pies in honour of the gal who did everything Fred Astaire did, but backwards and in high heels.

Now I'll be looking to swap more eggs for rhubarb and next time will make the pastry from scratch and see how they freeze. They'll be just the thing to enjoy by the fire after a winter surf or cycle.

Extra-large eggs

Egg-citing news!

One of the girls laid a really bountiful egg this morning.

A friend holds the super-egg (Hilda?) next to the usual suspect

Must be all the leftover pancakes the little devils enjoy.

Here's the recipe.

Perfect pancakes

2 free-range eggs
3 cups milk
3/4 cup wholemeal SR flour
3/4 cup white SR flour

1. Beat eggs and milk
2. Gradually add flours
3. Beat for 5 minutes until fully mixed
4. Let sit for 10 minutes
5. Pour a large spoonful into a non-stick pan with a tiny slosh of olive oil
6. Flip when bubbles appear
7. Serve with lemon and sugar
8. Enjoy!

Free range farmer scoops award

FREE-range egg farmer Anne Westwood has won the Australian National Energy Globe Award for sustainable farming practices.

Anne and her husband, Phil, from West Gippsland, have about 1000 chooks on their Grantville property, as well as cattle and sheep for grazing.

Read all about Anne and Phil and their free range chook farm...

Free Range Debate

In the Weekly Times today there is an interesting debate article discussing how egg producers have let fly with their criticism of Coles' decision to phase out house-brand cage eggs by 2013. They spoke out at this year's Australian Egg Corporation Limited annual general meeting, held in Adelaide last week. Read more

Alison's chooks enjoying the good life.

Also check out the Free Range Farmers website.

Another reason for those of you with a garden (no matter how small) is to consider getting a couple of chooks. Not only are they easy and cheap to maintain and buy - if you get a couple from a cage-egg farm where they sell off the girls after their first year of intense production they sometimes cost a mere $2. You’ll be giving them a whole new life and they will still repay you with beautiful, fresh eggs.