she was a he

5AM cock-a-doodle-do
7AM cock-a-doodle-do
9AM cock-a-doodle-do

Bon Voyage Monsieur Petals

 I woke to a friendly call from my daughters chicken, Petals. Laying there listening, I was temporarily in heaven.

Oh my god it's 5 in the morning.
It's Saturday.
Oh the poor neighbors..

After three days of having a morning wake up call, I decided there was no more denying it, Petals is Rooster.



( Yikes! My husband just walked in, "Ugh, hey Sweetie? The neighbor said the guy on the corner is going door to door today looking for the Rooster. You know, the crazy one.")

 Thank goodness for these guys: http://www.urbanfarmstore.com/

                                                                              
They are currently letting people bring in their roosters, no questions asked on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

From their website:

We can relocate roosters again! Bring them in a cardboard box with some pine shavings on Wednesday or Saturday and we'll pass them on to our partner who will either keep them in his breeding program or relocate them to other breeding farms he knows. A small percentage end up at auction, an uncertain fate. He can also relocate older or unwanted hens.

   

The boys. That's him in the middle bottom.

I'm going to miss you Petals. 

He was my favorite. Mischievous and wild, he kept me on my toes. I never knew when he was going to come back that free range so and so, but he always did. And on the nights when he was still out and my daughter was going to bed, she was pacified knowing that he was just at the local neighborhood coop party while someones parents were out of town.

You are off to the farm now and hopefully you will know true freedom. We love you Petals. XOXO

Other fun animals to see at the shop.

                                                                                                                                            

This beauty has a hurt leg.

The goats of course.

I

linen

   Loyal Linen

"Linen, derived from the Latin linum and the earlier Greek linon, is woven from the fibers of the flax plant and is a completely natural resource.
 

Even though only the very best fibers are used by the linen industry, no part of the flax plant is

 wasted; the left over linseeds, oil, straw and fiber are used in everything from lino and soap tocattlefeed and paper. Also, the linen fabrics are biodegradable and recyclable.

                                                                                                                                        

 The production of linen fabric uses five to twenty times less water and energy than the production of cotton or other synthetic fabrics. 

 

 

The characteristic most often associated with linen yarn is the presence of "slubs", or small knots that occur randomly along its length. However, these are actually defects associated with low quality. The finest linen has a very consistent texture and no slubs.

Linen is renowned for its spectacular durability and long life. The tensile strength of linen thread is twice as high as that of cotton and three times that of wool. Flax yarns and fabrics increase about 20% in strength on wetting which means linen is stronger when being washed helping it last longer than other textiles while linen textiles become softer and actually improve in comfort over time.

It can absorb up to 20% of its own weight in moisture while still feeling dry to the touch; the nodes along the length of the fiber absorb perspiration, then swell and release the moisture to the outside air, thus creating a fabric self cooled by evaporation which is why linen cloth always feels fresh and cool.
 

Linen is virtually lint free, non-static, non-allergenic, naturally insect-repellent and gives UV protection.

Tasha Tudor Spinning

                                                                            http://www.tashatudorandfamily.com/

The word ‘spinster’ meaning single woman comes from the day when flax was still spun on spinning wheels by spinsters. This was skilled work and single woman who had mastered the art were at a distinct advantage when looking for a suitable husband.
Single women were encouraged to sit outside to spin where they could be admired by potential suitors as they passed by. As a result the word gradually became 

 associated with single women.                       
 

Mummies have been found wrapped in linen shrouds dating as far back as 4500B.C."

 

                                                                  www.belovedlinens.net/fabrics/history-linen.html 

 Thank you Bemz

I think I can. I think I can.

 

I saw this novice canning set on sale at the market. I'm going for it! A big thank you to all the preserving experts out in the world who are helping me along and reminding me of a time when canning was a necessity

.

Dumpster Diving

 

WOW! They were throwing this away. 

I watched as my neighbors filled their dumpster and the people started swarming. I didn't want to seem rude as the residents packed up their lives and threw away the rest, but when I watched them walk these over to the bin, I bee lined out of my house and straight for them. We all have our breaking points I guess.

Chickens

 

The Coop

 We decided to get chickens this year and to be honest, I don't know what I'm doing. I have read up and even have a friend who is a seasoned chicken owner, but I keep thinking it should be harder then it is. They aren't laying yet, but later this summer.... I love chickens! I go out side and stare at them forever. Having grown up in the city, it's nice to have a bit of "country" in my back yard. 

Last week I heard a cock- a -doodle come through my kitchen window. Oh no! We can't have roosters in the city. It was Petals, my daughters chicken. I told him to hold his breath and don't get caught.

http://www.urbanfarmstore.com/

Mama Saint Claire

My first attempt at home made pasta..

The roll out.

Getting ready to cut.

The recipe I used for the pasta comes from one of my favorite blogs: http://thehiddenpantry.blogspot.com

The ingredients list:

3 egg yolks
1 whole egg
flour to make very stiff but not crumbly dough
pinch of salt

 Please refer to her awesome blog for preparation tips.

   Sliced and time to boil.