April 21st

Annnnd another month is in its waning days.
Jeez!
The days fly by!

Here at Chicken Scratch farm, there's always something to be done.
But, for me, the lure of an afternoon nap on the patio seems so tempting.....
Sigh....
Not today, too much to get done.
Anyway, moving on,

did you know?.....
April is National Frog Month!
This is the most prolific time of year for them to breed.
Although, around these here parts, the frog is a Cajun delicacy.
Eaten by humans and fowl alike.
Only difference is, here, these little unfortunate amphibians are
consumed fresh and swift, no bothering with just those pesky legs.
That's good because we'd have an abundance of amputees and the yard isn't ADA capable.

Our girls have pretty much cleansed the yard of any pests,
or any other small creatures who have the misfortune not to be able to run away.
Anole lizards are another favorite food of theirs,
but their ability to move faster than
greased lightening
and
climb out of the way of a snapping beak,
has kept their numbers high.
Crickets, worms, caterpillars and such have absolutely no chance.
Once those beady little chickey eyes are set on their prey, its like a sniper taking out a target!
Apparently,
their omnivore status makes for quality eggs.
They do produce a tasty product!

This group is washed and ready for the fridge.

Oops,

The non-humans are in need of assistance.

I hear a hen.

 

The CEO is turning the compost heap.

That's Lucy.

She's his constant companion whenever he's outside.

She'll even try her hardest to follow him into the house.

She's not one to miss an opportunity for a tasty earthworm!

 

I walked around harvesting, weeding and pruning, when I came upon this.

I, at first, thought she had passed on to that big Coop in the sky.

It is just Sandy.

Sunning herself.

I tried to explain that she'll never get a tan covered in all those feathers,

However,

 I could pluck her and she'd get a lovely golden brown in my oven.

As you can guess,

She declined to take me up on my generous offer.

 

Pepper and Nugget munching on the mustard greens.

 

Pepper, giving me the stink eye.

I interrupted her cricket pursuit

to take her picture.

 

Ethel,

Chillin'

 

 

 

A sunflower.

Reading about them,

I came to find out that the entire bud,

in this stage of

development, is edible

and tastes similar to an artichoke.

Hmmm,.

Might have to see about that.

We have about a dozen sunflowers.

The site I checked said to boil the bud

till soft, then eat.

I swear I'm gonna try this.

The kids want to see the flowers bloom,

so I'll only try a couple.....

This is Stevia

Same plant that the sugar substitute is derived from.

(her name is....

Yeah,

You guessed right.

Stevie Nicks)

Clever?

😜

The salad garden.

Its beautiful!

Kale, Romaine, Butterhead and Purple Bibb.

Wonderful tastes!

 

Artichoke.

Hope it produces well,

The ones from last year were

wonderful.

 

 

Broccoli we've allowed to flower.

All of the plant is edible.

The flowers are somewhat milder.

Family and chickens love it.

 

We found this in the with the mirlitons.

Believe it or not,

its a peanut plant.

The squirrels bury them and then they germinate.

The peanuts are actually a kind of rhizomes that is in the ground.

When you pull up the plant, they are hanging onto roots.

We had a few last year,

but gave the peanuts to the chickens.

Not enough for us to roast and eat.

 

Yay!

Strawberry flowers.

Only 2 flowers, so I can't sing Strawberry Fields Forever just yet.

 

 

Kumquat

 

Tangerine,

Moment of silence....

 

May they rest in peace.

😢

We've tried a few remedies,

but,

they just couldn't come back after those frosts.

We'll be clearing them out later on.

The Circle Of Life.

(you sang that, right?)

 

 

I posted this WTH plant picture before, but

now we know its name.

Its called Shiso.

Its an Asian herb.

Used in sushi and soups.

(as I've said, tastes nasty!)

Anyway,

Mr Miyagi - (his name, of course),

won't be finding his way into our meals.

But,

He is quite beautiful.

So now, Miyagisan is an ornamental!

 

 

This is an amazing concept, barring illness or disease.

So, from a rapidly aging female,

This sounds pretty good!

 

 

 

I've been researching edible plants, flowers and roots.

(one word - retired)

Not the normal stuff,

but, to put it simply,

Weeds.

Yep.

Legal weeds.

(thought that needed a clarification)

This picture below is a dandelion.

I've collected a few and they are drying.

I don't have immediate plans to eat them,

but I will use them in my soap.

The entire thing is edible, from flower to root.

They contain vitamins and minerals, as well as fiber.

American Indians have foraged them for centuries.

A few other edible wild plants are,

Geranium flowers, wild violets, jasmine, chrysanthemums,

begonias, and pansy's.

There are hundreds more, but these are the ones I grow.

I've got several species drying now.

I will post results.

(Disclaimer: we do not use pesticides. Everything in our environment is chemical free)

 

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Here's a

Cool, quick recipe......

I know.....

It doesn't qualify as totally "healthful",

but its really good,

and I'm feeding 5 hungry mouths.

===============

Chicken Casserole

1) pick apart a store bought rotisserie chicken. About $5.00.

it'll yield about 3 cups.

2) a 16oz container of sour cream.

(no one here likes sour cream,

so they simply don't know. 😜)

3) 1 can of cream of chicken soup, low sodium.

4) 1 pack ranch dressing mix.

5) about a cup of cut up bacon pieces.

Because.....well, BACON.

6) 2 cups shredded cheese.

I use sharp cheddar, but any will do.

7) a 2lb bag of tater tots

 

 Preheat oven - 350

Spray a 9x13 casserole dish with PAM.

In a large bowl, mix everything together.

Then spread out into the pan.

Bake for 40-45 min or so, until bubbly

I sprinkle green onions from the garden on the top before serving.

This is quick and filling.

Serve with salad (mine is freshly picked!)

and some sweet tea.

(sometimes the tea is mint!)

Kid friendly, especially after school!

I've changed this around to use leftover baked chicken breasts or hashbrowns.

Also good. 

 

*and if you line the pan with foil, zippy cleanup!!

 

 

 

 

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Some funny stuff I saw on Pinterest and I wholeheartedly agree!

😁

 

 

more Louisiana silliness.

 

 

and,

since yesterday was 420,

 

 

For me,

It isn't just about food,

gardens and the animals.....

Read,

Create,

Grow,

Live!

 

Remember what the Doormouse said!

 

 

 

*and Grace Slick