PUMP IT UP

PUMPKINS are one of the easiest and most satisfying vegetables to grow.

 

Toss the seeds in, thin out the seedlings, cut off any excess globes and a few months later these wonderful orange and yellow veggies are ready to be turned into soup or roasted with and served with goats cheese and thyme.

 

 

In my new vegetable garden i did indeed toss the seeds in but neglected to thin them out enough with the result that the pumpkins are not taking over the garden, the lawn and some are even climbing up the fence and giving the beans a run for their money.

 

But its a great problem to have.

 

Now the plants are well established, i have taken down the fence and the hens can ramble around them and eat any insects silly enough to pop their heads up.

 

Roll on autumn.

Cool chooks

KEEPING my hens cool and watered during the heat this week will be an additional challenge.

 

Along with their usual deep water bowl I'll be adding two more into their enclosed pen.

 

Plus positioning the market umbrella to keep them in the shade.

 

If you kave any backyard chooks, be sure to check they have constant access to fresh, clean, cool water.

 

Also look out for snakes and other reptiles who may be attracted to the chooks water supply.

 

Hilda enjoys prime position on the bird bath

Free range debate

THOSE of us lucky enough to have chooks in the back yard know the joys of enjoying delicious, free range eggs.

However, labelling laws in Australia are all over the shop - pretty much any egg producer can call their eggs free-range.

On Monday January 6, ABC Radio ran a story about a group of Australian egg producers are urging state and federal governments to create a legal, enforceable definition of free range eggs. Listen here...

Meanwhile, the feather riot continue to produce the best darn eggs this side of Geelong. 

 

Friends say I'm fortunate to be able to keep chooks and I have to agree.

 

So if you have a spare patch of garden, think seriously about giving a couple of former cage-hens a loving home.

 

They will reward you with more than just lovely eggs.

 

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.

HEN WRANGLING

KEEPING chooks out of the blooming vegetable beds is a never-ending story.

 

In an attempt to keep the little vixens out of harms way while i continue digging out the triffid-like bamboo, I've wired off the yard into several sections to herd them about and preserve plants and my sanity.

 

However, when i do need some lawn ripped up and new beds established, they really hoe in and do a great job.

 

This method also allows me to dig and use a mattock without the risk of a dear little hen getting in the way with disastrous consequences.

 

Here's I've recycled old platic-covered fencing wire held in place by bambook poles gleaned from the first bamboo beheading in August. Now they have dried out they are proving useful for this and growing beans and peas.

 

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.

Dig it

DIGGING in a new vegetable bed or three is so satisfying.

 

On the weekend I finally planted out some vegetables including three varieties of tomato - Tommy Toe, Rouge de Marmalade and Burke's Backyard best - kale, climbing beans, basil and broad beans.

 

 

Preparing the beds took longer than I thought as previous owners have dumped bricks, stones, china, plaster and all manner of rubbish in the yard and sifting and removing the junk form the soil was a job and a half.

 

Luckily I managed to get this all finished just as the rain started.

 

Roll on summer!

 

Here I have put in paths using some of the old pavers I found stacked

under some grass clippings.

 

Rouge de Marmalade planted in front of the beans which will grow and hide the back fence.

To the right are some jacaranda trees and an old fuchsia whose days are numbered as I have to dig out the surrounding running-bamboo.

 

The hens commence digging up the lawn for my new tomato garden.

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

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.

Companion planting

CHOOKS make the ideal companion to the vegetable garden.

I know, you are thinking how the little devils can so often dig up a bed of newly planted seeds or devour a whole row of broccoli seedlings in one fell swoop.

But once your plants are established, particularly the hardier types such as pumpkins and potatoes, the hens will happily scratch away and leave them alone.

Not only will they eat caterpillars and other pests straight off the pumpkins, they kindly fertilise the soil nearby.

When you need a garden bed dug up and turned over in preparation for the next season of crops, these little humdingers have no no rival.

Lentil as...

LENTILS are coming into their own as winter rolls on.

You have to love 'em - delicious, nutritious, easy to cook and as cheap as chips.

And as the coriander is going gangbusters and the two go so well together, it seems rude not to combine them.

Yesterday in between weeding, removing old bean plants and keeping the hens out of the brassica beds, I made a big pot of red lentil and vegetable soup.

I meant to save it for dinner and then decant into smaller containers for lunch this week, but it smelled so yummy I did have a bowl for elevenses.

Alison's Red Soup

Ingredients
I x pkt red lentils
1 x onion, chopped
1/2 of a big pumpkin, chopped
1 x red capsicum, chopped
3 x carrots, chopped
2 x tins of chopped Italian tomatoes
handful of coriander chopped
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp Cayenne pepper
1 tsp turmeric
1 1/2 litres water

Method
Rinse lentils then place in deep heavy bottomed casserole dish with water
Simmer for 25 minutes, removing foamy scum
Add carrots, capsicum, pumpkin, tomatoes, spices and cover with more water if needed
Simmer for an hour
Vitamise smooth
Serve with Greek yogurt and a sprinkle of coriander

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.

Down and dirty

DIRT baths when it's wet can be a challenge for chooks when it's wet and muddy.



 

Hilda and Gidget enjoying a relaxing dirt bath

 

There's an area under my back deck with gravel and limestone crush which the girls love to roll around in when it's pouring.

 

Not only do they get to keep the mites at bay, a dirt bath allows them to extend their wings, roll their feet into the air and enjoy a good stretch.

 

If your chook run is getting ab it muddy, toss down some shredded newspapers, some straw and then add a good pile of grit or fine gravel they can loll about on. Don't worry it will soon resemble a mess, chooks love a bit of chaos! 

 

This time of year you should also add some crushed fresh garlic to their water as a bit of a tonic.

 

Keep on adding as many fresh greens as you can to their food.

 

Plus a teaspoon of linseed to their pullets will give them a twinkle in their eye. As though they didn't already have one when looking at your broccoli seedlings. 



Chook house blues

KEEPING your chooks dry when it buckets down can be a challenge.

It's days like today when the heavens open, that I am glad I went for a hutch on stilts.

There's a good article on the Organic Gardener magazine website on this important chook architecture topic.

Cluckingham Palace sits about 35cm above the ground,

allowing for circulaiton when it's hot, somewhere shady to relax in summer and for

water to drain past inth the yard behind when it pours. 

 

It may be great weather for sucks, but hens hate having wet feet even more than we do.

 

By raising the hutch off the ground you'll avoid lots of problems. Just make sure it is rodent and fox proof.

 

 

 

 

 



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.

Pumpkins

THE pumpkins are looking more and more like footballs as they lie in the garden beds growing bigger and bigger.

So large in fact, he hens simply walk around them now as they are too big to step over.

This year there are Queensland blue, Jap and a heritage variety are sprawled about and I can't wait to make roast pumpkin soup with blue cheese garnish. 

Pumpkinsare amazing to grow - the seed is so small and the results fantastic!

This year I used seeds from the 2012 crop and it's been great to see them pop up all over.

Water for drinking

EVEN  through winter hens can easily get dehydrated.

It's important to remember to check their drinking bowls are clean and get topped up as needed.

This mourning the feather riot ran out of the hutch like Moss Trooper at the grand national, heading not for the food bowls but for the water dish.

Each day or so give your chooks water containers a good scrub out and add a crushed garlic clove as this will help the hens digesting and does not seem to add any taint to their eggs.

Salty lemons

CAN you grow great lemons on the coast?

Sir Peter Cundall doesn't think so in his latest Weekly Times column.

Still I persevere.

Call me stubborn but I'm not going to let a fruit tree get the better of me.

My neighbours have a cracker which tantalises me every time I look over the fence as my citrus trees are not half as prolific. But when when I asked them about any special soil treatments or fertilisers, they seem to take the 'healthy neglect' approach.

Darn.

One lemon tree which came with the property and sulked in various parts of the garden is now happily caged in the fully wired-up chook run, gets plenty of sunshine, water and ahem, chook fertiliser. The hens even like to climb the ladder next to it to occasionally roost in the branches.

The others are variously in pots and the ground.

Hopefully the little darlings will improve. The lemon and lime trees, not the chooks, they are fine.

But even if they don't my dear neighbours are happy to swap plump fruit for the feather riot's eggs.

So as long as I keep a few cackleberries I can have my lemon pacakes and eat them too.

Bathing chooks

DUST baths are one of the funniest sights when you have chooks.

Hilda and Gidget have a chat while dust-bathing in the tomato bed.

Watching them lie on their backs, legs akimbo with wings outstretched to get dust into every feather, it’s hard not to laugh.

They are amazingly dexterous and resemble contortionists as they wriggle about, looking to rid themselves of mites and other insects at home in their feathers.

Of course the little devils don’t choose empty plots of earth to enjoy their bath – no, they have to settle into a newly seeded bed or one where I have been heaping soil on top of growing potatoes.

Now we have finally had some rain they will use the sol under the massive but unproductive passionfruit vine and fluff their feathers there.

Sometimes they lay an egg in their dust bath after a particular vigorous session. But usually, they give themselves a shake and wander off, stretching their wings and giving little satisfied 'crawk crawk' noises as they saunter about their domain.

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!