Grilled Zucchini makes a GREAT lunch!

Different people like their zucchini different ways.  Me, I like it roasted in the oven with extra virgin olive oil and  Ms. Dash Onion & Herb seasoning.  But I also like it grilled.  Now, I do use my George ForemanⓇ Grill for this when I want a quick lunch.
  If I had the time, I'd put them on a charcoal grill.


For this, I slice my zukes lengthwise. (Go ahead and plug in your grill)
Next, I place them in a bowl and drizzle extra virgin olive oil on them, about 
1/2 - 1 TBS (depending on the amount of zucchini I use).  Place a secured lid 
on the bowl and shake, making sure to get all the evoo on every slice
of zucchini.  Make sure the grill is hot enough/ready.  Place the slices of 
zucchini on the grill.  Lightly sprinkle sea salt on each slice of zucchini. 
And then close the grill lid and let grill 2 to 5 minutes 
(depending on how soft or crisp you want your veggie).
 Optional:  add a leaf or sprig of your favorite culinary herb.
I chose to use basil leaf.  *You would grill the herb with the zucchini.


And there you go!  It's that simple.  And it's always best if you can
grow or purchase organic vegetables!!  Or look around your neighborhood,
you just may have a farmer that grows vegetables in abundance who would
be willing to share his/her harvest for a fair price for the love & labor 
they put in to their gardening.

About Our Eggs

This blog post will serve as a PSA for Circle C Farm (Cleveland Farm)'s eggs.

Currently we have 19 hens.
Nine New Hampshire Reds:  Egg Color:  Light Brown to Light Terracotta
Two Easter Eggers: Egg Color: Pale or Mint Green/Blue
Four White Leg Horns: Egg Color: White
Three Production Blacks: Egg Color: White
One Crevecoeur:  Egg Color: White (we think this one is a hen - and if so, she will only lay once a week)

We have more (23) pullets (hens) growing, however they won't start egg production until probably mid July.  Of the 23 up coming hens, we have:

Easter Eggers (green/blue egg), Brabanters (cream/tinted egg), Faverolles (cream egg), Buff Orpingtons (light brown egg), Australorps (brown egg) and Welsummers (either brown speckled eggs or dark/terracotta brown eggs).


How are your chickens housed?

Inside of the run looking toward the hen house.

We have a coop/hen house for our chickens.  This is where they retire for the evenings (roosting), this is also where the hens go to lay their eggs.  We also provide a protective run for them to go outdoors in during the major part of the day if they'd like. Our girls are Cage-Free and do get to Free-Range. This makes for happy hens.  And when the hens are happy (and not stressed) they lay better.  If a hen is stressed for any reason, she may go for a period and not lay.  We like to keep our girls happy as much as possible!

Although we do allow our chickens to free-range, we do so under supervision for a few hours in the evenings after all the hens have laid usually until the sun starts to set.  We supervise them because we do live in an area where there are potential predators.  For example:  hawks, owls, fox, coyote, dogs, raccoons, opossum, skunks, and possibly bears, although rarely spotted in Hart County.


What do you feed your chickens?

When free -ranging, our hens love to scratch the pine straw out from under
 our azalea bushes to capture those succulent red worms!

Our chickens diet includes, but is not limited to:  a layer feed, grass, table scrapes (such as: veggies, fruit, whole grain and a source of protein), they do get supervised free ranging time to forage for bugs, worms and insects, flax seed (for omega 3's),  scratch feed once a day as a snack. They are offered a free choice of oyster shell.  Oyster shell is a great source of calcium for our girls and helps to keep the hens egg shells strong and firm. They also get fresh water 2 to 4 times a day, depending on how hot it is and how fast they are drinking it.

This is more for the meat producers, but still want to make clear that our chickens have not (and will not) receive growth hormones.

Remember, anything the chicken intakes (food or otherwise) is broken down and passed along through their eggs.  The healthier and more natural their diets, the better the eggs are for you!


You have different color eggs. Do they all taste the same?

Yes, they taste the same!  The different color to the egg shells is because of the pigment in the individual chicken.  When an egg is forming, and they all form the same, the last thing that happens to the egg is it gets a "paint job".  Under normal circumstances (and practices by the farmer) the eggs will have the same nutritional value (if the same size) and taste.  The only reason I can think of that might make an egg taste a little different is if the hen ate something with a stout flavor, like garlic. I do know that what a hen eats can affect the color of the egg yolk.  So to me, it would make sense about the flavor too as I just mentioned.  But it is only a theory, so don't hold me to that.

Get egg nutrition data here (select from the drop down menu, the size of the egg).

I've Created a Worm Bin on Wheels

Yes, that's right! A worm bin.....don't forget the wheels!  It's a very simple construction and cost me virtually $0.00  because I already had everything I needed, including the worms!

So maybe you're thinking, what on earth is a worm bin? (Some folks call it a worm farm or worm composting)  And why does she need one?  And if you're not thinking this and know darn well the what's and why's, skip down to the next paragraph.  A worm bin is a container with ventilation, it can be almost any type of container - buckets, trash cans, cooler, plastic bin with lid, etc.  You get the idea.  It is filled with scraps and worms to create more worms and rich compost for gardening.  And its a great idea to add a healthy snack to your chickens diet.

If you'd like to tackle this environmentally friendly and sustainability addition to your homestead, follow these simple steps.

First you will need a container.  To this container you will need to add mulched or un-mulched leaves (after a rain is good) or you could add shredded paper.  This will be the first (bottom) layer.  Be sure to make it a few inches deep (depending on the size of your container).  Here is mine, I used a rolling plastic drawer bin:

Next, you'll want to dampen the paper or leaves (if the leaves are already wet - skip this step). Careful not to add too much water!!

Then, you'll want to add Red Worms to your container.  For my Worm Bin on Wheels, I added about 20 per drawer.  I got all Red Worms straight from my yard in different locations.  We live on 6 acres, so there was plenty of room for seeking out these little guys.  If you want to seek your own, look under rocks, wood, piles of leaves, outdoor toys that have been laying in the same spot for a while - the little buggers love to live in these dark and damp places.  If you don't feel quite adventurous or don't have the resources to look for them, you certainly can mail order the Red Worms online.  Here are a couple of places you can look.

http://www.redworms.com/red-worms.html

http://www.redworms4sale.com/

Or, you could do an internet search for Red Worms.

OK!  Next, after giving your Red Worms a new home, go ahead and give them table scraps.  It's better to give your worms the processed, enriched foods such as, pasta, bread, etc than to give them to your chickens. I'm not saying NOT to give those food items to your chickens, because I certainly do from time to time, just saying that worms are much better for them.  That is what chickens that live in the wild would eat, not "human food".   

Then, layer on top of the food scraps more leaves or shredded paper and dampen that.  Then the last thing to add is a piece of cardboard that fits the size and shape of your container.  It doesn't have to be the exact same size, but it shouldn't be too small either.  

Now you have your very own Worm Farm!! 

Worms like it dark and damp.  Keep your bin in a dark or dimly lit location.  In a tool or garden shed, the garage, a closet.  If you do keep your worm farm outdoors, be sure to move it to a warmer location if the temperature dip below freezing.  Otherwise, you're good to go!

Now see how simple that was?  And just think of the wonderful, rich soil you will have to use in your garden and flower pots! Not to mention yummy, healthy treats for your chickens!  Just remember, this process does take time.  Don't expect to create your worm farm today and have wonderful, rich composting soil and additional worms next week.  All good things come to those who wait! Yadda, yadda, yadda.......I know, it's such a cliche.  But in this case, it's true!  You may have enough composting soil from your worm farm by this fall (if you start now) to plant a few flower bulbs or those beautiful chrysanthemums.

Happy Worm Farming!! 

adaptations from source: Free Range Chicken Gardens: How to Create a Beautiful, Chicken -Friendly Yard by Jessi Bloom

Raising Our Own Chickens

The Egg-ecutive Producers

We have 19 pullets who are at or are nearing the laying stage.  Pullets are what you call female chickens that are under 1 year of age.  Once they're a year old, they are called hens.  So far, that I can tell, and as of this posting, we have 6 pullets that are laying eggs.  Three New Hampshire Reds and three White Leg Horns.  The New Hampshire Reds lay lovely brown eggs and the White Leg Horns lay very nice white eggs.

Here is, Floppy, one of our White Leg Horns sitting in a nesting box.

And this is what Floppy left for us.  No, not the golf ball.....

Usually, when a pullet starts laying, her first few eggs will be smaller than what is normal for that breed.  For example;  Floppy laid this small/medium sized white egg.  Normally she will lay a large/x-large size egg.  In about a week or two she should hit the max. size for her eggs.  And as an FYI, White Leg Horns are prolific layers! They lay 4- 6 eggs a week!  And we have four White Leg Horns!  

An Incr-edible Egg

Have you ever compared an egg purchased at a supermarket and an egg straight from you very own chicken, or at least from someone else's very own chicken - straight from their backyard farm?  If you have, then you know there really is no comparison to a farm fresh egg!  When chickens are raised on a farm or a small backyard farm where they are allowed to forage, are fed fruit/veggie/grains table scraps, and a good layer feed, you are going to notice the difference in taste and the difference in the way the yolk looks.  A farm fresh egg will have a richer taste and the yolk will be a yellow-orange color, not the bright yellow you get from an egg obtained from the supermarket. Farm fresh eggs are even more healthy for you. Check out this article about eggs from Mother Earth News! 

Here is an egg I broke open this morning from one of our NHR pullets as a part of our breakfast.  We even got a double-yolker!

See the nice rich color of that yolk?  You won't get that from a supermarket egg!  

If you can't or just don't want to raise your own chickens, look around in your local area to see who does raise backyard/small farm laying chickens - I bet you could purchase a dozen from the farmer there. You could get different colored eggs; white, brown, dark brown (chocolate color), brown speckled, blue or green.  But no matter what the color of the shell is, all chicken eggs taste the same.  Some people prefer getting the different colored eggs! It's always fun to see what color egg your pullet will lay (if you don't already know). 

Depending on where you live, you could pay anywhere between $3 - $8 per dozen.  And most of what you pay is to help the farmer off-set the cost of feed and supplies to help keep the hens happy so they lay those nice farm fresh eggs that will keep you wanting more!  You'll soon forget the eggs at the supermarket!

We will soon have surpluses of our eggs available for purchase!  We will post updates!

Easy and Fantastic Recipes with Eggs and a Great Boiled Egg How To

The following are recipes that include eggs as a main or prominent ingredient.  Have fun making these delicious dishes and the very cute egg how to ~ you're gonna love it!  These links will open in a new window.

Baked French Toast Casserole with Maple Syrup (by Paula Deen via Food Network Website) 

Spinach Mushroom Quiche (cooks.com)  I love this recipe! Although, I tend to add a little extra nutmeg ;)

Omelet Biscuit Cups (allrecipes.com)


Pickled Eggs (simplyrecipes.com)


Bento Bunny Shaped Eggs for Easter (by Amber Raffile on Xanga) Also includes a How To for making the perfect boiled egg and how to peel the shell easily!!

Here is one of my favorite omelet's to make:

Broccoli & Feta Cheese Omelet
2 Large Farm Fresh Eggs (whisked with about 1 TBS cool water)
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 TBS EVOO (heat in your pan over medium heat)

Add eggs to the pan, let cook for about 45 seconds, then add to one side (half):
3 TBS Crumbled Feta Cheese (Fat Free, optional)
1/4 Cup of steamed fresh broccoli florets

Allow the eggs to cook for about 30 to 45 more seconds before flipping the other half over the broccoli and feta, to make an omelet.  Then flip the entire omelet, carefully, over to the other side and cook for about another 30 sec to 1 minute.

Very Yummy!!

I hope you try some of these recipes. They're really good!

Happy Homesteading!

First Egg

We have received our very first egg today from one of our pullets!  The pullet who decided to lay this beautiful Grade A egg (graded by my 4-H'er daughter), did so while I was gone to the grocery store.  And no, I did not buy any supermarket eggs ;)  After I got back home and put away the groceries I did buy, I went out to the coop for after noon rounds to check food and water.  I opened the door to the coop and there it was.....on the floor!   Ok, so this was the first egg, hopefully the pullets will get the hang of where to lay their eggs.  I do have a golf ball in each nesting box.  Not to entice them to lay, but to show them where to lay.

So who laid the egg?  I really, really, really want to believe it was one of the New Hampshire Reds.  Although it could be one of the Easter Eggers.  Easter Eggers can lay white, brown, green, blue or pink (very light brown) eggs.  I'm hoping for green and blue from my EE's!! *fingers crossed!*

Hopefully by mid April we'll be in full production of white, brown and tinted eggs!  Just in time for Spring!

Here is a photo of our First Egg (on right) placed next to a large white supermarket egg for comparison.

What's Happening?

Hi All.  Been a little while since I've last posted.  We have been a little busy.  With spring here (at least it feels like it), we have been planting seeds indoors and are getting ready to transplant the seedlings and plant more wonderful veggies and root plants!  So far in the ground we have garlic and roma beans.  We will be adding more seedlings in the ground very soon, which will include, romaine lettuce, carrots, onion, tomatoes (better boy) and marigolds, broccoli, and a couple herbs: chives and oregano.  Mmmmm.....we are looking forward to the tasty goodness Mother Nature will have to offer after our efforts of putting it all in motion.  Rain has been good so far this year...fingers crossed that we will continue to reap the sky water crystal drops!

Not only are we looking to reap a good harvest from the earth, we are getting so very close to getting our first egg(s) from our hens!  Looking like we have a couple Leghorns that are very close to laying and a two or three New Hampshire Reds that are very close.  Didn't know we have chickens?  We do! Our white egg layers: White Leghorns (4) and Production Blacks (3).  My daughter has a Crevecoeur named Sweetheart.  We are not yet sure if Sweetheart is a pullet or a cockerel. If a pullet, she will lay white eggs.

Our brown egg layers:  New Hampshire Reds (9) and Our tinted egg layers: Ameraucana/Easter Eggers (2).  We also have 3 Roosters:  Big Red, the New Hampshire Red - he rules the roost, and takes good care of our girls!  Dudley, the Rhode Island Red, we're still waiting for him to start crowing!  And then there is the "nameless rooster" he is a Barred Plymouth Rock.

We are raising more chicks!  At present time they will be 3 weeks old on Wednesday.  More on them once they are older ;)


Meet some of our girls!

Easter Egger (L) and 2 White Leghorns.

My daughter's Crevecoeur, Sweetheart.

This is Big Red, King of the Cluckers!

Sprouting Lentils: Day 4 (final day)

Ok! Now, we are on to day four.  Day four was actually yesterday, and I apologize for not posting this yesterday.  I had bit of trouble getting signed in to our account. BUT all is well today!

Today, all the lentils should have reached their maximum sprout stage.   All the sprouted lentils should be dry.  Pour the sprouted lentils into a colander and rinse one final time and let dry.

Once dry, you can store your newly sprouted lentils in an air tight container/zip bag.  The sprouts have a wonderful, rich earthy aroma and taste. These are wonderful in salads!!  Enjoy!

Sprouting Lentils: Day 2 (and three)

So it's the second day of sprouting lentils.  This morning just after 8 o'clock I  poured out the water that the lentils were soaking in over night and rinsed the lentils.  After rinsing the lentils, turn the jar upside down at an angle and let them drain for 24 hours.

On day 3, you'll want to do the same thing. By this time you should see the lentils growing "tails" - they are sprouting!  Rinse the lentils, pour out the water and let drain for another 24 hours.

I shall post once again on day four, for the final day.

Sprouting Lentils: Day 1

I have decided to sprout some lentils for consumption by adding some to my salads.  If you have never sprouted lentils, you are in for a nice treat!  And if you have, you already know how easy it is and tasty the lentil sprouts are!  What do they taste like you ask?  Lentil sprouts have a wonderful earthy aroma and taste!  Here I show you an easy way to grow the sprouts.  I use the jar method.  Let's get started!

Our Journey Begins

This blog will be a journal of sorts pertaining to our family's beginning journey of homesteading and hopefully sustainable living.  Seems simple enough - but it will take hard work and determination.  As it is, we are learning as we go.  And that is so much part of the adventure that awaits.  I'm sure we will see our share of failures and successes.  And just maybe learning from our failures will bring fruitful rewards!

Speaking of fruitful, today our first order of seeds from SeedsNow.com came!  These are organic, non-GMO seeds.  I can not begin to tell you how excited we are to get them in the ground.  So far we have 27 different types of seed from Arugula to Zucchini.

Not only are we planning on having a much bigger crop this year, we are also raising chickens for farm fresh eggs!  Our layers consist of New Hampshire Reds, White Leghorns, Production Blacks and Ameraucanas (Easter Eggers).  I absolutely can not wait to taste these eggs!  The hatchery did throw in Barred Rocks and Rhode Island Red Roosters (17 roos total!!).  But I think we are going to have to find new homes for them, there's just way to many!  We did loose 5 birds, which gives us a remaining count of 38 total chickens.

Looks like we're off to a good start!

  More to come.......

~Marcie