How to Cook a Rooster

The 2nd Annual "We grow it, you eat it" Thanksgiving was a huge success.  We had 10 people gathered around the table enjoying foods from our garden (squash, green beans, beets, apples, pumpkin, potatoes) and coop (namely Silver, the rooster, in a delicious risotto dish).  Leading up to Thanksgiving we were presented with the challenge of how to cook a rooster so that it wasn't tough and dry.  After much searching, we realized not much information exists.  So this is my best attempt at summarizing up the cooking.

Silver met his end last Sunday, after which he was quickly plucked and cleaned.  I placed him in the crock pot, covered it with plastic wrap and put him in the refrigerator to simply sit.  This step is similar to soaking an old bird in brine, since the sitting of meat allows it to soften slightly.  On Wednesday morning, I cut up an onion and placed it on the bottom of the crock pot.  In a small bowl, I mixed 1 tsp. thyme, 2 tsp. paprika, 1 tsp. salt, 1 tsp onion powder, and 1/4 tsp. pepper.  This mixture was sprinkled on top of the rooster.  The crock pot was left on high for 4 hours, then turned to low for another 3 hours.  The meat fell right off the bone, which was perfect for putting it in the risotto.   Next year we hope to have a self-raised turkey and I think I will still season it the same way.  The meat was quite tasty!

On a funny note, I have been finding piles of feather strewn throughout the house.  Apparently as I plucked chicken feathers, little Harvey kitten was taking mouthfuls and hiding them places!

Happy Thanksgiving.

Cold Day Mish-mosh

It has been a busy two-ish weeks since our last post.  There has been a flurry of activity here as we have been preparing for the arrival of winter.  The gardens are all settled in until spring.  We planted several pounds of garlic and mulched the beds with straw.  There are also some hardy greens planted under some low tunnels.  The low tunnels are something of an experiment that hopefully yields some early salad in the spring.  Fingers are crossed that they work out, no thanks to Harvey who gladly put a hole in some of the row covering within five minutes of them being placed.  The animals are also tucked in for the winter.  The early stages of a high tunnel are also now complete.  Come spring, we will convert some chain link fence posts into a 12 x 40 foot production structure.  We hope that the chickens can maintain their excellent egg production through the winter.  Silver the rooster met a peaceful end this morning in preparation for Thanksgiving.  We mourn his loss but are grateful for his sacrifice.  The pigs are growing like gangbusters.  They have been enjoying all manner of different snacks in addition to their standard ration.  They eagerly consume several apples a day and have sampled many different vegetables and even peanut butter cookies and apple crisp.  Cutting, splitting, moving, and stacking firewood has also become somewhat of a hobby.  The rather large pile of logs that was delivered in late summer is now considerably smaller.  We should have at least two to three winters of firewood stacked under cover and ready to warm us by next year.  In the meantime, I had a cord and a half of dry wood delivered which is now stacked in the barn.  All of that needed to be finished before things freeze up and we get covered in snow.  I think that happened today.  We have had sustained temperatures in the 20s with gusty winds and there are two inches of white stuff on the ground.  With all of that hard work done, we can relax by the wood stove and plan for our upcoming adventures.  Maybe we will soon get some more snow to play in?

What a Mess!

Went out to give the pigs some leftover lentil soup.  Started pouring it from the blender when a riot of excitement broke out and yup...poured lentil soup all over Penelope's head.  What a mess!

Princess Dresses for the Nieces

 

Today I finished making princess dresses for the nieces.  I made them extra big so the girls would have many years of playing dress-up in them before they outgrow them.  The exciting news is there are 4 other tiny princesses here or on the way for me to make EVEN MORE DRESSES for!!!   

SNOW!!!

What a surprise to wake up this morning to a blanket of fresh, white snow!  Little Harvey ventured out into the snow for the first time and seemed surprisingly content. 

The pigs paid no attention to the snow.

 

 

The chickens, however, did not seem to enjoy their first snowfall.  I opened the pen and instead of running out into the yard as usual, they all stood huddled around the door, clucking, as if discussing the strange white coating outside their coop.  Some of them picked at the snow, while others simply cocked their heads to and fro.  They finally ventured out into the yard, but stayed close to the barn where the snow hadn't stuck.  By mid-afternoon all the snow had melted and life on Silver Hill Farm was back to normal, but it was a fun morning just the same.

Hide-and-Go-Seek

This morning I went out to the pigs to give them their morning snack before leaving for work.  Normally the girls are waiting for me at the gait snorting gaily, waiting to eat. 

This morning, I was met with silence.

 I poked around in their hay - no pigs.

I called to the girls - no pigs.

I walked up the hill and searched their pen - no pigs. 

I went back into the barn to check their stall - no pigs.

At this point, panic sets in.  I lost the pigs!  I'm leaving the barn wondering where the two could have possibly run off to and I hear a rustling of leaves and the familiar sound on grunting.  PIGS!  The girls were simply hiding in the leaves....or sleeping, but I prefer to think it was a fun game.  Found you!  I win! 



100% Productivity!

The past few days we've been having a debate after collecting our eggs.  We've had 7 eggs consistently.  The two conclusions we reached were either (A) one hen was not yet laying, or (B) two hens were on an every-other-day schedule.  Today, the laying boxes were full all morning, and I had to laugh as two hens tried to squeeze into one box.  The remaining ladies stood below, patiently awaiting their turns, clucking away as if to cheer the other hens on.  I went out early today, since there was such busy activity this morning, and found 8 eggs!  I was quickly reminded that I am officially way too into my chickens as I congratulated the girls for a job well done.  So as of today, we are officially at 100% productivity!