So much to talk about

So much to talk about but not a lot to say lately.  It's funny that the most important things aren't the ones I'm racing here to share.

 Let's start with the easy stuff. The geese have started to lay eggs this week along with one of the ducks. 

Today's haul: 2 goose eggs, a duck egg and 4 chicken eggs.  The quail haven't started to lay, probably because they know I'm planning to locally barter some of their fertile eggs for Welsh Harlequin eggs.

The geese are mostly "Who cares?" when I gather these.  Goose eggs are huge.  My father gifted me an amazing pasta attachment set for my Kitchen Aid mixer for Christmas and I'm thinking that the goose eggs are going to be made into noodles.  Possibly a couple of salt cured egg yolks which I didn't even know was a thing but apparently is popular in Spain.  The yolks are preserved to the texture of hard cheese and then grated over dishes like pastas and salads.

It's been really mild this week. We've been outside a lot.  My little man has had "egg gathering" added to his chore list.  He's thrilled.  Bee is always with us, following us around like a dog when we're outside.  He's been sleeping through the night for the first time lately and last night I think I figured out why - Bee is sleeping in bed with him.  I remember our cats used to share my bed with me when I was little and how soothing it was to wake up to soft purring.  It's something that can still put me right to sleep in the middle of the night. 

He's also been asking, on a daily basis to go to "Track Track's house!" Which I quickly figured out means he's demanding to be taken to Tractor Supply.  The big box farm store.  Be still my heart.  

What else.... I sewed this pillowcase for his toddler bed this week.  It took about 20 minutes.  There's also a really simple strip quilt being worked on with construction equipment and tractors.  I hope to finish it this week.

Cooking.  When I have birds butchered I do freeze a couple whole but part most of them up. The wings all get saved in a big bag.  These were excellent; the wings coated in flour, garlic salt and paprika for the baking and brushed with two different sauces.  Hot (half siracha, half honey, pat of butter) and garlic parmesan (grated garlic and butter, sprinkled with shredded cheese). The wings were cooked in the oven while I made the sauces and the whole things finished under the broiler.

Well, that's it for now.  Time to get back to life.

Goose on a nest!

So the other day when I wrote that Spring was happening inside the house - it's been happening outside too.  It doesn't seem particularly lady-like to announce that "the geese have been gettin' it on" but there you have it.

 Yesterday I went out to feed and water everyone as usual.  My appearance in the yard always causes certain birds (ducks, geese) to work themselves into an embarrassingly loud honking, quacking frenzy.  But yesterday the geese seemed slightly quieter than usual.... like a noise level 7 as opposed to the usual 9.  I looked at the pen from across the yard and only saw two geese.  Huh, that's odd, I thought.  But occasionally a goose will walk up the ramp to the chicken house, somehow stuff their fatty-pants butt through the tiny door and get stuck.  Must be it, I thought.

Well, no.  This is what I found:

A goose on a nest.  A! GOOSE! ON! A! NEST! I have been waiting for this moment since the New Year.

Here she is, all snuggled up inside the crap-tastic goose shelter.  

Wow, it has been a banner week around here.  Besides some exciting personal news going on, my dishwasher got fixed and now this.  I really can't ask for anything else for awhile.  

I didn't see any egg under her but was afraid that if I poked around under her too much she'd try to kill me.  I've gotten enough bruises from broody chickens and ducks that it didn't seem particularly smart to stick my hand under a huge goose.  She was moving something around underneath her and it seemed promising.  

Later in the day she was off the nest and getting a drink so I rushed outside.  A quick poke around confirmed that she hadn't actually laid an egg.  What she was sitting on so diligently and fussing with was... wait for it... a heel of bread. *smacks forehead with palm of hand*  I had thrown a heel of home baked bread to the birds the day before and this is what she was trying to mother.

Shortly thereafter the chickens flattened the nest and ate the bread.  But at least she's practicing and in that there is hope. 

Signs of spring indoors

Little signs of spring are starting to creep into the house.  A very sweet friend gave me some daffodil bulbs awhile back.  They were sprouting and ready to be forced in the house but our one free (sunny-ish) window was being taken up by the winter amaryllis so I waited to plant them.  They've been cooling in the crisper drawer and today I put some gravel in this little pot and added the bulbs and a little water, like you would force a hyacinth.  I hope they're OK without soil. A funny story about this little bowl.  There was an elderly woman having a yard sale at the antique shop she used to run (it hasn't been open for, I don't know, maybe 15 years) and she was downsizing her things.  On the surface that probably sounds depressing however I've been to many "yard sales" run by elderly women "downsizing" their things and more often then not it seems like a chance to just show off their stuff, which may or may not actually be for sale, and tell you all about how rare and awesome all their things are.  Possibly it might be an attempt to humor their kids, I don't know.  I remember one porch sale in particular where the woman "running" the sale was in her late 80's, tanning in a lawn chair and drinking something that strongly resembled a cocktail.  I think I bought a potholder there because everything else was a "valuable antique" she "couldn't possibly sell".  This antiques store sale was sort of like that but I did buy the bowl, only after hearing about how rare and valuable it was because it was signed by the artist (which it may be, if you squint REAL hard).  After that sales pitch I think she charged me $5 for it.  I love it.

I've been trying to work through the pile of squash in the kitchen, if nothing else to cook them down and get them in the freezer.  Guess what I found when I cut this one open today?

Sprouts.  The seeds were growing inside the squash.  Occasionally this will happen and it I think it's really funny when it does.  Like they just can't wait for spring.  Well, sorry seeds, the chickens are going to get you tomorrow.

What else?  Potatoes are chitting all over the place.  That's an actual term, seriously.  All of the potatoes in storage are sprouting.

We are getting enough eggs to justify getting out these little ceramic trays I got at TJ Maxx a couple of years ago.  They're so pretty, oh I love them.  Both the trays and the eggs.

With all of this joy going on inside the house of course we are projected to get a winter storm tomorrow morning.  But I feel like we've turned a corner.

Eggs, free nesting boxes

Egg season is apparently upon us, and thank goodness.  I want to remember that we started getting eggs about a week and half ago.  One of the Easter Eggers (second egg from the left) was laying every other day.  For as long as I've kept chickens, Easter Eggers are always the first ones to start their engines in the cold of winter.  It's so nice to go out there and find those cheerful green eggs.  Today I went out to gather her egg before it froze and - surprise! - three of the other hennies had decided to get to work as well.  The egg on the far left is another Easter Egger and the two brown ones are the "meat" birds that were kept last fall when the other ones were butchered.  That speckled one on the far right is really lovely and something we haven't seen before.  I'll probably blow the egg out and save the shell for display.

This is one of the "meat" type hennies.  They're called Rainbow Rangers.  Look at those feathers!

Getting breakfast the old-fashioned way.

Which brings me to nest boxes.  One of the feral yard chickens laid an egg recently too but she laid it on the floor of the duck coop and I didn't find it until today.  By that point it had frozen solid and the shell had cracked.  I used to have a nest box in the duck coop but had forgotten about it this year.  So, enter Aldi's.  Not only do they sell tons of organic groceries for cheap, they also have these amazing nest boxes free for the taking.

Some people might see cardboard here but these these boxes are golden.  See how they have the little lipped scoop in the front? And the sides are high?  Add a big handful of straw to each one and hennies love to lay eggs (and raise babies) in them.  They feel secure in them.  And guess what?  If an egg breaks, you can just throw it out and get another box.  

So grateful to be getting what appears to be a steady supply of eggs at last.  The ducks, geese and quail aren't laying yet but in their defense it's super cold and I don't blame them.  Birds lay eggs to make babies, not feed us, and I can't argue that logic when a "warm" day is 20 degrees outside.

Happy Groundhog Day

Best holiday of all time.  Apparently Phil the groundhog has declared that we're in for 6 more weeks of winter.

Okay, campers, rise and shine, and don't forget your booties 'cause it's cooooold out there today.

It's cold everyday.

Our morning in pictures

Baked a coffee cake using the last of the frozen berries from the yard; a mix of blueberries, black raspberries and currants.

This is one of my favorites to bake. It's so simple and good.

My little man helped me find the berries in the freezer. He will play in there as long as I let him; holding up bag after bag and asking "What's this? Hm.. What's this?" This of course led to him finding my stash of ice cream bars which we ate. Oh and he also likes to say "sorry ducks" while holding a package of frozen quail which is hilarious. 

He learned to use the flour sifter and immediately showed Mickey how to use it. 

He has been doing this super cute thing this week: completely out of nowhere he has started calling me Mama Duck. As in "Mama Duck? Play Cat in the Hat?" or "Mama Duck! I stuck!" when he's hiding under a pillow. It's adorable. Of course I have started calling him Baby Duck which he loves. His morning chores consist of helping make the beds, feeding his fish and giving Bee treats. He was unloading the dishwasher but it's been broken this week which is pretty much my version of housewife hell.

Our amaryllis bloomed overnight.  I thought it was going to be pink but I did get it on clearance so who knows. It's beautiful. 

Yesterday we were playing in the yard and today the world looks lile this. I caught one of the female ducks and held her while little man petted her and named each part. He was beside himself 

 "Duck's ears! Duck's toes! Duck's nose!" I don't think the duck appreciated it as much as we did.

Elyse is doing an impression of a slipper this morning. Bee smells vaguely but undeniably like skunk. Don't know what to do about that except ignore it. I draw the line at bathing a cat.

Well that's it so far. Sincerely hoping baby duck takes a nap so mama duck can too. 

Canning jar trick

John over at Going Gently has a fun post this morning asking people to share real or made up household hints (check out Going Gently on the blog roll side bar - I love reading about John's adventures).

Anyhoo, I thought I'd share mine here too, with a picture.

If you use mason jars for canning or storage, the red lids from peanut butter jars fit them perfectly. So after you open your jar of jam you don't have to muck around with a sticky lid and band. It's only the red lids but seems to work for any brand I've saved them from.

I learned this from my grandpa who would not have called it a "life-changing canning hack!" He would have found that term totally asinine. He would have called it common sense. Of course I think he saved every single jar lid that ever entered that house, so sooner or later one was bound to fit.

Cooking goose with Hank Shaw

I've professed my crush for Hank Shaw on here a couple of times.  We own all of his books and I was a recipe tester for his new book Pheasant, Quail, Cottontail which comes out this spring.  He's one of those people who make our lives better on a regular basis not only from the recipes contained in the books but also by the vast store of knowledge and techniques that he shares with readers.  You can read my thoughts on his book Duck, Duck, Goose and my experience cooking Duck Bigarade by clicking here.

It's time to start eating the Embden gander we parted up and put in the freezer last fall so I pulled out one of the breasts and the wings and got out my copy of Duck, Duck Goose.  I wanted to try something completely new to me that wouldn't be too involved time-wise since I was cooking this on a Tuesday night.

I chose the Goose Breast with Orange-Ouzo Sauce.  I hadn't cooked with fennel for years and this used the bulb, which I'd never done and also called for anise liquor, orange and thai peppers.  Interesting.

Prep and go, people.

We are out of Thai peppers so I pulled a Jalapeno out of the freezer.  We also live in the sticks so for the anise liquor I purchased a cheap bottle of Sambuca. 

The breast is scored to release fat as it cooks - this is a good technique for duck as well.  It also called for duck/goose stock so first thing in the morning I tossed a pair of goose wings into the crock pot along with celery, carrot, onion and bay to make the stock.

He shares a brilliant technique for crisping the skin - the breast is cooked skin side down the entire time. I spooned the fat off and into a jar as it was released from the skin.  Goose/duck fat is heaven when added to anything.  He has a recipe in the book for a duck fat pie crust which I haven't tried yet.

Bee stood like this and made her sad face.  Didn't work.

Here it is, served with mashed potato:

Perfectly crisped skin, perfectly medium-rare.  Directions in the book followed to the letter.

Oh my goodness.  Remember when I said pickled eggs were the reason to keep quail?  I will kill a goose each fall for no other reason but to make this recipe.  It was pure heaven.  This is one of those dishes that you would happily pay $40 a plate in a fancy restaurant to celebrate a special occasion and then not shut up about it to anyone who would listen.  The sauce is absolutely amazing; sweet with the liquor and orange but hot with the pepper.  The meat was delicious.  My husband said it reminded him of well-aged venison and I thought it was a bit like quail. Like a wonderful, expensive indulgence.

The best part is that this happened in my kitchen, on a Tuesday evening, in under 45 minutes.

I think next up in the kitchen will be Cajun Dirty Rice with the duck, goose and quail giblets I've been hording.  And when the ducks start laying I'll try his Salt Cured Egg Yolks; apparently you shave them over pasta once they're dried.

If you hunt, fish, forage, keep waterfowl or just love to cook please visit his wonderful website Hunter Angler Gardener.  It's so beautiful and inspiring.

Vintage linens for sale

Some pictures so that someday I can look back and say "oh, WHY did I sell that?"  Also I think it's fun to see what other people are selling on Ebay, it gives me ideas of things to look for when I'm out second-hand shopping.  These are just a handful of the things currently listed.  Clicking on any of the captions will take you to the auction.

Vintage purple hankies

Vintage floral pillowcases

1950's Tiki Barkcloth

Vintage crib coverlet - 1940's?

Cross stitch pillowcase pair

Vintage sheeting fabric.

Blue floral hankies

A tiny handmade (by me) doll quilt

Vintage table cloth. I really, really, wish this fit our table.

There are also a ton of Nintendo games listed

There are over 50 things listed currently; mostly linens, feedsacks, fabrics and video games.  A handful of books.  If you're curious you can click here to see everything I have for sale.  Vintage fabrics and linens have been good to me over the years and are relatively easy to come by living in a rural area.  They're also easy to ship. If you do any selling  on Ebay or Etsy it's a good niche to look into.

Does anyone sell on Ebay or Etsy?  I know a couple people reading this do.  Please comment with a link!  I'd love to see what you're up to.

P.S.  The hatchery is sending me a sexed pair of geese as replacements.  I chose to get those two and a refund for the third.  I wonder how long I can keep all 5 before anyone notices? Just kidding, sort of.

Was sent the wrong birds. A choice to make.

So I've suspected for a couple of months now that the hatchery sent me the wrong kind of geese last spring. I had ordered a breed called Super Africans. Mine just didn't look like they were developing properly so this week I sent off some pictures to the hatchery. I was hoping that I still had the right birds but maybe they just weren't fully mature.

They got back to me yesterday confirming that they sent me the wrong geese. Shit.

Pinterest photo of Super Africans.

My geese. A production standard goose.

See the difference in the posture? And the dewlap (the loose skin under the chin)? Mine also are significantly smaller than they should be.  It's my understanding that in this country most geese sold as "Africans" are actually a mixed goose that have Chinese goose genes somewhere in their background.  It results in a lighter weight goose that lays more eggs.  It may not seem like a big deal but it means that I've spent the last year raising birds that don't meet the breed standard. At all.

They've offered to send me replacement geese or refund my money. The birds I paid for cost significantly more than the ones I recieved plus they're just not what I ordered. 

I have no idea what to do here. I like my geese. I don't have room for six geese. I don't want to butcher these three. I could try to sell the group.  They are friendly and sweet.  

Geese have a long lifespan. Truth be told, if I'm going to be looking at these birds for a long time I really would like the Super Africans. I keep going back and forth.  Going to give myself the weekend to think on it.

What to do?