a man and his hoe

every day is a good day

  • Single Source Eggs

    SingleSourceEggsA

    It’s Friday, time to take eggs to Slough Food in Edison. This week one of the cartons is extra special. It’s a carton of single source eggs. This may be the only carton of single source eggs sold anywhere in the country, maybe even the whole world this week.

    The eggs in this carton are all laid by Lucky. The past few weeks she has been faithfully laying eggs early in the morning in one of the nests in the woodshed. I’ve been checking every morning between eight and nine to gather her eggs so I could make a carton of just her eggs.

    SingleSourceEggsB
    SingleSourceEggsC

    One lucky customer will be buying this carton this week. Maybe they’ll make a single source omelette or single source soufflé. Lucky raised a brood of chicks last fall. The picture below is from September 20, when her chicks were five days old. When I’m weeding in the garden, she is the first hen who will come to lend her claws. She’s really after the worms I dig up, but a little scratching here and there doesn’t hurt.

    SingleSourceEggsD

  • A “Skunk” in the Chickenyard

    SkunkyA

    It’s not the disaster it sounds like. The “skunk” in question is one of the new chicks. It’s striped like a skunk. I’m tempted to call it Skunky, however, as its feathers come in, the stripes will disappear. The colors and patterns on baby chicks often change dramatically as they grow up.

    The black stripe streaking out of its eye makes an impression. When it’s outside, this chick is easy to spot.

    SkunkyB
    SkunkyC
    SkunkyD

  • An End and a Beginning

    AnEndB
    AnEndA

    It’s the end of the word burning season. This may be the last load of firewood we bring in for this season. The warmth of a wood fire is so comforting, there is always a bit of sadness when the wood burning season comes to a close.

    But it’s also the beginning of fresh, garden herbs. Today, the lovage is large enough to pick a stem for supper’s soup. Last year, this lovage plant towered seven feet tall. It’s leaves will flavor many dishes this year. One lovage plant will feed a household through spring and summer.

    AStartA
    AStartB

  • Like Mother, Like Daughter

    LikeMotherLikeDaughterA

    This is a first here. A few days after Buttercup’s chicks hatched, her daughter, which she raised last year, hatched a clutch of eggs too. How often does this happen, where a mother hen and her daughter hatch eggs on nearly the same day?

    LikeMotherLikeDaughterB

  • The Adventure Begins

    TheAdventureBeginsA

    The adventure begins. Buttercup has her chicks outside teaching them how to dig for earthworms and where to find good things to eat. She‘s also teaching them with her clucks and her calls when danger is nearby, which hens are friendly, and which hens and roosters to avoid. A little chick has so much to learn.

    TheAdventureBeginsB
    TheAdventureBeginsC

    See how attentive she is? A mother hen cares for her chicks as much as a human mother cares for her child.

    TheAdventureBeginsD
    TheAdventureBeginsE

    After a morning full of adventure, it’s time for a warm rest. The chicks find a perfect resting spot under Buttercup. This is what a hen looks like when she is giving her brood a well deserved nap.

    TheAdventureBeginsF