Category Archives: Food

Making the Most of Your Milk

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(I’m subtitling this “The White Album”, with profuse apologies to the Beatles, because all of the pictures are white … including the one with the chickens!)

Of course, I waited until the last minute to call up Allison at Buckley’s Homestead Supply.

“Do you have any chevre culture on hand?”, I asked, confident that she did.

She paused.

“Well, everyone’s been getting their milk shares and we’ve actually sold out.”

I know what you’re thinking.  It’s what I was thinking too.  ”This is exactly why a person should not wait until the last minute!”

Allison continued, “I do have some ‘fromagina’ culture.  Will that work?”

Relieved, I said it would.

Fromagina is made exactly the same way as chevre.

Fromagina is made exactly the same way as chevre.

In retrospect, I’m glad we landed on this new cheese culture because it gave me a way to make the point that the type of culture determines the flavor and texture of the cheese.  This one is a little softer and smoother than the regular chevre.

Our little group met at Tabor Mountain Bakehouse, where Kristi and Brian graciously hosted us.  I’d like to mention that in addition to giving us gluten-free berry oatcakes, whoopie pies and almond bars to eat, Brian also washed all the dishes!  I didn’t expect that!  Thanks to his hard work, I hardly had to do any clean-up and was home in plenty of time for Chicken Bedtime.

The chickens appreciated this. Roxanne likes to play "Catch the Chicken" before bed.

The chickens appreciated this. Roxanne likes to play “Catch the Chicken” before bed and would have missed our game-time.  Here they are drinking the leftover whey.

Marilan, from Easter Egg Acres, brought milk for everyone.  Seriously!  She brought us two gallons to work with PLUS a half gallon for every student to take home.  AND she made ice cream too!  I can’t thank her enough for her contributions to this class.  She really made it extra-special!

She even brought milk for me, which is great timing since I had just run out!

She even brought milk for me, which is great timing since I had just run out!

The five students asked lots of questions, which I love because that’s the only way I know whether I’m telling them what they want to know.  They said nice things in the feedback forms too.

“This is a wonderful class and I can say I feel confident to make my own milk [cheese] and yogurt now.”  - a participant

They gave me good feedback about my goal of inspiring people to buy local agricultural products too.  One student said she would like to know more, which gives me the idea to put lists of where you can get locally grown products on this website.  In that spirit, I’ve added a list of where you can get goat milk and goat milk products around here.

We made yogurt with freeze dried starter and everyone took home a jar.

We made yogurt with freeze dried starter and everyone took home a small jar.

Thanks so much to everyone who participated and made this such a great class!  See you next time!

****

© 2013 Hungry Chicken Homestead

Want to read about locally owned businesses in Colorado Springs? The chickens want to tell you about them! Join them in supporting our local economy by signing up for our twice-monthly newsletter!

 

Baby Goats say, “The Milk Class is Tomorrow!”

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This group of baby goats asks, "What are you doing with your milk share? Is it languishing in the refrigerator?"

This group of baby goats asks, “What are you doing with your milk share? Is it languishing in the refrigerator?”

I think it’s amazing they know words like “languishing” at just a few weeks old!

This baby goat says, "You could be making your own yogurt right now, without any expensive equipment!"

This baby goat says, “You could be making your own yogurt right now, without any expensive equipment!”

Goats are very frugal and never buy expensive equipment.

This baby goat says, "The monkey's 'Making the Most of your Milk Share' class is tomorrow!"

This baby goat says, “The ‘Making the Most of your Milk Share’ class is tomorrow! Are you signed up?”

It’s true!  The class is tomorrow!  We’ll make yogurt and chevre, and eat homemade goat milk ice cream from Easter Egg Acres.  We’ll talk about making greek-style yogurt and where to take more advanced classes.  Marilan, from Easter Egg Acres, will be there to answer all your goat-milk questions.

This is a hands-on class and you’ll go home with the yogurt and chevre cultures we’ve made to ferment at home.  Advanced classes cost more than $50 a person, but you can participate in this introduction for $30.

This fine looking chicken gently suggests signing up right away. Only three spots are left.

This fine looking chicken gently suggests signing up right away. Only three spots are left.

Take her advice and sign up today!

***

Note:  There is still time to sign up for the whole series of four food preservation classes at a discount.  See the class schedule page for more information.

****

© 2013 Hungry Chicken Homestead

Want to read about locally owned businesses in Colorado Springs? The chickens want to tell you about them! Join them in supporting our local economy by signing up for our twice-monthly newsletter!

Quiche, My Way: An Egg Recipe

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How many eggs did you get this week?  I bet the answer is “a lot”.

This picture is not staged. My chickens are cramming themselves into one of the six nesting boxes, two or three birds at a time, to lay eggs.

“Hey!  Get your chicken feet off my eggs,” says Middle Chicken.

(This picture is not staged. My chickens are cramming themselves into one of the six nesting boxes, two or three birds at a time, to lay eggs.  Why they must all use the same box, I do not know.  Chickens have their own ideas about these things.)

Besides giving out eggs as tips when people work on my house (thanks Wilcox Maintenance and Richard’s Finest White Glove Carpet Cleaning!), I spend a lot of time thinking about egg recipes.

In fact, when my friend Debby brought me a copy of her new book (the one I’ve been raving about), the Garden Varieties Greens Cookbook, egg recipes were the first thing I looked for.

Debby says she and her mom wrote the cookbook with the idea that people would modify the recipes to suit themselves. That's a good thing since the first thing I did was invent a gluten free crust made of squash for the quiche!

Debby says she and her mom wrote the cookbook with the idea that people would modify the recipes to suit themselves. That’s a good thing since the first thing I did was invent a gluten free crust made of squash for the quiche!

Debby gave me permission to reprint the Swiss Chard Quiche recipe.  Being lazy, I’m posting a picture instead of re-typing it.

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This is a big picture. If you click on it, it’s big enough to read and try in your own kitchen.

As Debby expected, I made some changes to the original recipe.  Besides my squash crust, I did the following.

 

These are less expensive and mitigate the temptation to eat all the sliced bacon before it makes it into the quiche.

These are less expensive and mitigate the temptation to eat all the sliced bacon before it makes it into the quiche.

Want to see the end result?

It was delicious!

It was delicious!

Thanks, Debby, for providing another way to use up all those eggs!

You can’t get a hard copy of the book in stores yet, it’s only available as an eBook right now, which you can buy for $2.99, but I’m raffling three print copies off.  Leave a comment on any of the posts about the cookbook (including this one) to enter and I’ll select the winners on May 10th.

I want desperately to tie up this post with a joke about being crammed into a space like chickens competing for a nest box, but in truth I’m perfectly comfortable all by myself in this chair.  But never mind.  Who knows what mysterious chicken behavior I’ll have the privilege of witnessing today?

Whatever they’re doing, I’m sure it’s going to result in more eggs.

****

© 2013 Hungry Chicken Homestead

Want to read about locally owned businesses in Colorado Springs? The chickens want to tell you about them! Join them in supporting our local economy by signing up for our twice-monthly newsletter!

Squash Quiche Crust: A Recipe

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Uh oh.  It’s that time of year.

What time of year?

The time when you’ve eaten all the best preserved food and you’re left with the experiments.

Ah … THAT time of year.

I froze a lot of spaghetti squash last year to use in place of spaghetti.  It was an experiment that worked well enough at first, but with time the squash got to feeling neglected and gave up its resolve.  It became irresolute and mushy.

I hate to waste food, even weak-willed food, and tried to think of what to do with this bland vegetable.

I had wanted to make the Swiss Chard Quiche from my friend Debby’s book, The Garden Varieties Greens  Cookbook, and it needed a crust.  Why not a squash crust?  It’s gluten free and it uses up the squash!

Ingredients

2 cups squash
3 eggs
coconut flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  (I bake everything at 350.  Try a different temperature if that makes sense to you.)

Mix the squash, eggs, salt and baking soda together.

If you can't get an egg out of the collection basket, try the refrigerator.

If you can’t get an egg out of the collection basket, try the refrigerator.

The mixture will be wet and … well, “squashy”.  Add coconut flour a tablespoon at a time until it sets up like dough.

It should look like this.

It should look like this.

Spread the dough out in your quiche pan.

Bring it up the sides. If you added enough coconut flour, it will stay in place.

Bring it up the sides. If you added enough coconut flour, it will stay in place.

Bake the crust, uncovered, for about half an hour or until it firms up.

It turns a nice brown and rises just a little.

It turns a nice brown and rises just a little.

Let it cool and add your quiche according to its recipe.

Tomorrow I’ll tell you about the Swiss Chard Quiche.  Debby has given me permission to print the recipe!

And remember, I am giving away three copies of Debby’s cookbook!  I’m going to choose the winners on May 10th.  You still have time to enter the raffle by leaving a comment on this post.  Do it now, before you have to go check the crust and forget!

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© 2013 Hungry Chicken Homestead

Want to read about locally owned businesses in Colorado Springs? The chickens want to tell you about them! Join them in supporting our local economy by signing up for our twice-monthly newsletter!

Cookbook Giveaway: The Garden Varieties Greens Cookbook

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Do you wish you could get more greens in your diet?

Do you feel like this when faced with the actual greens?

Patience is not actually burying his head in the chard. He is searching for a little piece of cheese we used to get him in the picture with the greens.

Patience is not actually burying his head in the chard. He is searching for a little piece of cheese we used to get him in the picture with the greens, which is pretty much the same approach we use to get people to eat them.

Greens, from arugula to sorrel, are easy to grow and very nutritious.  Why don’t we eat more of them?

Debby Sledgianowski, co-author (along with her mother, Patricia Mays) of the Garden Varieties Greens Cookbook, told me how people would come to the Garden Varieties table at the Colorado Farm and Art Market and ask how to prepare the lovely greens they sold.  They wanted to eat them, but didn’t know how.

Debby didn’t know how to cook the greens either. If you eat your product, you have nothing to sell!  She and her mother had to do some research and that led to this book.

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It’s $2.99 for the eBook. I thought the idea of an eCookbook was silly until Debby pointed out you can look up the ingredients on your phone at the grocery store.

Greens can be baked, boiled, braised or eaten raw. Boiling takes the bitterness out, but takes the nutrition out too.  The book offers a variety of recipes that combine the greens with other ingredients without stripping them of their nutritional wonders.

All of the recipes in the book are traditional recipes, which the authors expect you to modify to suit your own tastes.

“We think you should play with your food,” Debby told me.

Playing with vegetables and a camera is fun since they are so pretty.

Playing with vegetables and a camera is fun since they are so pretty.

Debby came to the Homestead last week and made two recipes from the book, a Savory Chard Galette and a Chard Apple Galette.

The Savory Chard Galette is made of braised greens, mustard and pine nuts.

The Savory Chard Galette is made of braised greens, mustard and swiss cheese.

We actually forgot to put the cheese on, but I don’t really like cooked cheese anyway.  It was delicious just as it was!

This is a "dessert galette" of braised greens with apples, raising and pine nuts.

This is a “dessert galette” of braised greens with apples, raisins and pine nuts.

Debby used red chard and yellow chard.  She explained that some people think the red chard is a little tangier and adds more flavor.

She used the milder white one for the Chard Apple Galette.

She used the milder yellow one for the Chard Apple Galette.

I have three copies of the “beta” version of the book to give away.  These are print copies that you can lay on the counter and stain with food while you’re cooking (that’s my preferred style of cookbook …. food-stained).  Leave a comment with your favorite green to enter the drawing and I’ll draw the winners on May 10th.

Or just go ahead and buy the eBook.  Try out the nutritious and tasty recipes and modify them to suit your personal tastes.

“If you have an open mind to eating vegetables,” says Debby, “you might just live a little longer.”

All it takes is an adventurous spirit and a little piece of cheese.

****

© 2013 Hungry Chicken Homestead

Want to read about locally owned businesses in Colorado Springs? The chickens want to tell you about them! Join them in supporting our local economy by signing up for our twice-monthly newsletter!

So Many Eggs!: A French Toast Recipe

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Other people say it’s still winter, but I know it’s not true.  How do I know?  My chickens, the very same birds who forgot all about eggs and thought their job was only to make fertilizer for the garden, are producing 30 to 35 eggs a week!  (That’s five eggs a day, Monday – Friday, and four eggs Saturday and Sunday.  Everybody needs some down time.)

At this very moment, the eggs have overflowed their space in the refrigerator and the newest ones languish in a bowl.  (Note:  I don’t sell them, but I do give them out as tips to people who work on my house).

And so, we ask the question we always ask during the season for any given food.

Now what?

I’ve made all sorts of things, from good scrambled eggs to a quiche from my friend Debby’s book, The Garden Varieties Greens Cookbook.  (Stay tuned, by the way, for the story of how Debby came over to the Homestead and made us two Swiss Chard tarts, which we then devoured for lunch.  It’s nice to have a friend who is a Greens Expert.)

The French Toast Experiment began after I saw a picture of the delectable Orange French Toast from Adam’s Mountain Cafe.  I had to have some and though I can’t make it like the chefs at Adam’s, I certainly had enough eggs to try and make something like it!

The only thing I didn’t have was bread.  I bought some sprouted wheat bread at Mountain Mama Natural Foods.  They also have gluten free bread, as does Tabor Mountain Bakehouse and Outside the Breadbox.

Ingredients

3 eggs
1/2 cup milk
pinch of salt
1/4 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp cinnamon
butter
oil of one kind or another … I use a cheap grade of olive oil that doesn’t taste good enough for salad dressing, but you could use lard, ghee or whatever you have.

Whisk the eggs, milk, salt, cinnamon and vanilla together.

Do you make your own vanilla? It's just vanilla beans and vodka left to sit for a few weeks. Click for Crunchy Betty's recipe.

Do you make your own vanilla? It’s just vanilla beans and vodka left to sit for a few weeks. Click the picture for Crunchy Betty’s recipe.

Put a slice of bread in the bowl and cover it with the mixture.  You want the batter to soak into the bread.

Don't mind the bits of rosemary in the batter. I like to mix my salt with ground rosemary, but it doesn't really make sense in this recipe.

I like to weigh my bread down with a fork, but be careful not to tear a hole in it.

In the meantime, put roughly equal amounts of butter and oil in the frying pan.  Butter tastes too good to leave out, but it contains water and you’d need an awful lot to fry with it.  The oil makes up the difference.  Heat it gently.

When the bread is soaked through, put it in the pan and let it fry until it starts to brown, then flip it over.

You can see which one has been flipped and which one just went in the pan.

You can see which one has been flipped and which one just went in the pan.

The cooked toast should be cooked through.  It should be toasted on the outside and like custard on the inside.

Serve immediately, with butter or maple syrup or just a knife and fork.

Serve immediately, with butter or maple syrup or just a knife and fork.

Enjoy and rejoice that you’ve used up a few eggs!

****

© 2013 Hungry Chicken Homestead

Want to read about locally owned businesses in Colorado Springs? The chickens want to tell you about them! Join them in supporting our local economy by signing up for our twice-monthly newsletter!

Meet the Farm and Art Market Vendors: Stone Creek Farmstead

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Note:  One of the great things about Farmers Markets is the opportunity to get to know the people who provide us with food and locally made goods!  This is the first in what I hope will be a series about vendors at the Colorado Farm and Art Market.

***

“It was a hobby gone terribly awry,” Dianna McMillan of Stone Creek Farmstead told me with a smile.

She's referring to the goats. You can't have just one ...

She’s referring to the goats. You can’t have just one …

When Dianna invited me to visit the farmstead, I expected a small farm where all the buildings could be seen from one spot, like most of the other farms I’ve visited.  I drove up into the mountains and found this …

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It used to be a camp! Stone Creek is a stunningly beautiful 220 acre establishment.

Stone Creek Farmstead is a licensed dairy.  Dianna showed me around.

The main lodge includes a spotless kitchen. This contraption is a state approved pasteurizing machine.

This contraption is a state approved pasteurizing machine.

They offer a variety of cheese, bread and soap classes.  The cheese classes include a wine/beer pairing session and every class includes a visit with the goats.  You can find a schedule on their website.

Several varieties of handmade hard cheese age in a special room.

Several varieties of handmade hard cheese age in a special room.

We drove over to the barn, about a mile away.  Despite my preference for walking, the drive was fun because in addition to the beautiful scenery I got to watch the unrestrained joy of one of the farm dogs as she ran alongside the truck.  My dog, riding along with me in the car, was madly jealous.

This is the barn. It's the cleanest barn I've ever seen.

This is the barn. It’s the cleanest barn I’ve ever seen.

The McMillans built the barn especially for the dairy.

The goats are milked by machine, as the rules require. This room, which looked like a spa shower room to me, is the milking room.

The goats are milked by machine, as the rules require. This room, which looked like a spa shower room to me, is the milking room.

I’d like to take a moment to thank everybody I met there for being so hospitable.  No one said a word about me being late (I have no idea how long it takes to get anywhere around here).

They gave me samples of all kinds of cheese!

They gave me samples of all kinds of cheese!

And they were incredibly nice to my dog, even though one of their dogs was none too pleased.

She had so much fun!

She had so much fun!  They even gave her some whey to drink!

The Farmstead has a store in the Main Lodge building and it’s open to the public a few times a year.

You can buy handmade cheese, soap, lotion, bread, crackers and eggs from their chickens.

You can buy handmade cheese, soap, lotion, bread, crackers and eggs from their chickens.

The Colorado Springs Local Foods Meetup has an outing scheduled for the next “Store Day” on May 11.  Join us for a visit to the Stone Creek goats and their store.

And now that you’ve been formally introduced, stop by at the Market and say hello!

(Who else will be at the Market?  Click to read about the Arkansas Valley Organic Growers.)

****

© 2013 Hungry Chicken Homestead

Want to read about locally owned businesses in Colorado Springs? The chickens want to tell you about them! Join them in supporting our local economy by signing up for our twice-monthly newsletter!

 

It’s almost time for the Colorado Farm and Art Market!

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I know it seems impossible, since right now it looks like this outside the window…

Look how fluffed up Roxanne chicken is. It's cold!

Look how fluffed up Roxanne chicken is. It’s cold!

Wintry springtime weather notwithstanding, it’s still true.  The Colorado Farm and Art Market will be open for business in just over a month!  The first market will be on June 1 at the Margarita at Pine Creek!

Stay tuned for a review of the Garden Varieties Greens Cookbook, written by local greens grower Debby Sledgianowski.

You’ll be able to buy greens, like this kale. If you’re not sure what to do with them, stay tuned next week for a review of the Garden Varieties Greens Cookbook, written by local greens grower Debby Sledgianowski. (Click the picture to see the book now.)

An important thing to know about the Farm and Art Market is that it’s the only market in town where you can be assured that the produce is locally grown or the product is made right here in town.  When vendors apply, they must show that they are selling local products.

I know this is important because I went to another market a few years ago and directly asked a vendor if his vegetables were locally grown.  He assured me that they were and I bought them, distracted from inspecting them by the lively conversation.  When I got home, I found stickers with the word “California” on all the tomatoes!

I didn't have to worry about where these CFAM tomatoes were grown.

I didn’t have to worry about where these CFAM tomatoes were grown.

Earlier in the week I wrote about where to get locally grown produce right now.  Some of those vendors will also be at the Market.

You'll find Venetucci Farm there.

You’ll find Venetucci Farm there.

I talked to the new Market Manager, Nichole Fetterhoff (also the knitter of Nikki Stitch), yesterday.  She gave me a partial list of vendors.

Can't wait for these heirloom tomatoes!

Can’t wait for these heirloom tomatoes!

When you get there, you’ll find Frost Farms and A Joyful Noise Farm.  AVOG (Arkansas Valley Organic Growers) will be there too, selling produce from its members in the Arkansas Valley.  Lil’ Bit Farms will be there with goat milk shares and those coveted eggs.  Larga Vista Ranch, the raw cows milk dairy, will be at the Wednesday markets.

Milk, no fish oil... (This jar is from my Easter Egg Acres share)

Milk, no fish oil.
(This jar is from my Easter Egg Acres share … it’s important to properly credit the goats for their work.)

Speaking of the Wednesday markets, they will be held at Ivywild School this year!  You’ve probably heard how some of our local business owners are transforming the old elementary school into an entertainment and community center.  The Market will be held outside and you’ll be able to enjoy the businesses inside too!

A typical snack around here ...

A typical snack around here … I imagine the cafes in Ivywild will have some other things too.

The Market will be a destination, with live music, food and shopping.  You’ll find a number of vendors selling things like handmade soap, locally grown meat, locally roasted coffee and locally ground nut butter.

So go ahead and put it on your calendar right now!  I know it seems crazy with all that snow on the ground, but Market time is just around the corner!

(Wondering who will be at the Market this year?  Click for our Meet the Vendor series!)

****

© 2013 Hungry Chicken Homestead

Want to read about locally owned businesses in Colorado Springs? The chickens want to tell you about them! Join them in supporting our local economy by signing up for our twice-monthly newsletter!

Nourish Organic Juice: The Store is Open!

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It’s morning.  We’re hungry and in a hurry to get to work.  Sometimes it seems like the vending machine and its products of mysterious origin are the only options for a meal.

But wait!  What’s that?  It’s a carrot!  It’s an apple!

It’s the “Juice Girls”, come to the rescue!

Nourish Organic Juice has opened a long awaited Juice Bar & store!

Nourish Organic Juice has opened a long awaited Juice Bar & store!

Stop by the new Nourish Organic Juice store at 303 E. Pikes Peak for some real food.  It’s right on the southeast corner of Pikes Peak and Weber.

I’ve written about Nourish before and can confirm that the “Juice Girls” are just as inspiring and energetic as always.

They offer soup and salads with house-made dressings, to go with your juice.

They offer soup and salads with house-made dressings, as well as a daily fresh-pressed juice.

Are you on your way to work? Grab a juice out of the cooler and your co-workers will envy you when you get to the office.

Are you on your way to work? Grab a juice out of the cooler and your co-workers will envy you while they open their sodas.

Evelyn and Nicole want you to be healthy and it shows in their product offerings.

Don't want to make your own kale chips? Stop in and pick some up!

Don’t want to make your own kale chips? Stop in and pick some up!

Besides the soups, salads and juices, they offer a variety of gluten-free products made in Colorado Springs.  In fact, nearly everything in the store is made here in town!

The cooler is stocked with products made by local folks at Vision Foods.

The cooler is stocked with products made by local folks at Vision Foods, including this Japanese salsa, Harley’s Hope Foundation products and Papa Joe’s Little Chalet dressing.

Nicole says they want to offer these products because people have been so good to them and they want to give back.  It doesn’t surprise me that people have been good to them.  It’s easy to be nice to such warm people.  Nor does it surprise me that they want to help others.  They’ve always been that way.

Looking for coffee? They've got it! They'll make you a pour-over cup from local roaster, Switchback.

Looking for coffee? They’ve got it! They’ll make you a pour-over cup from local roaster, Switchback.

I chatted with Nicole about her other job while Evelyn made a cup of coffee for me.  These ladies sure do work hard!

Nourish is a family business. I tried to get a picture of Evelyn's little son running around while she made my coffee.

Nourish is a family business. I tried to get a picture of Evelyn’s little son running around while she made my coffee, but he is too fast.

I’m really excited about this shop.  I buy a Perky Pants carrot-ginger juice whenever I’m at Mountain Mama (one of the many local stores that sell Nourish Juice).  It’s nutritious and so good that I always wish I had another one when it’s gone.

Ready to head on over there?

The Colorado Springs Local Foods Meetup will meet over there on Saturday May 4 for lunch.  Why don’t you join us?  The food will be delicious and nutritious, and the company will be lively and entertaining.

It’s also a great opportunity to support this new local business.  Bring your friends!  We can promote the success of these two ladies who are working hard to make our community a better place!

We can all be well nourished superheroes together!

Come on in!

Come on in!

****

© 2013 Hungry Chicken Homestead

Want to read about locally owned businesses in Colorado Springs? The chickens want to tell you about them! Join them in supporting our local economy by signing up for our twice-monthly newsletter!

 
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Good Scrambled Eggs: A Recipe

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Picture this:

The sun is setting on a productive day at the Homestead.  The garden beds are set up.  The laundry is dry.  Homemade broth is simmering in the crock pot and tiny little bacteria are hard at work turning this week’s goat milk into yogurt.

I turn to the chickens and say this.

“What’s for dinner?”

"What do you mean 'What's for dinner'?", they reply.

“What do you mean ‘What’s for dinner’?”, they reply.

Eggs!

Again?

Again?

The six rambunctious, young hens in the yard are producing about five eggs a day now.  Personally, I don’t know where they get the energy (unless it’s from the several cups of feed they are consuming every day).  Sometimes I give a few eggs to the neighbors or to friends, but mostly they are a convenient and inexpensive source of meals for the people my household.

Sometimes, I even give one to the chickens, but you can see they prefer to steal tomato scraps.

Sometimes, I even give one to the chickens, but you can see they prefer to steal tomato scraps.

What does a person do with so many eggs?  I don’t do much baking and we usually eat them the old fashioned way; scrambled, fried or steamed.

I don’t know why it took me so long to figure out how to make scrambled eggs that aren’t dry, but I finally did.  Here is the recipe.

Ingredients

3 eggs
1/4 cup milk
a pinch of salt (I mix mine with ground rosemary)
butter

Go to the coop and get the eggs, rinse off the feathers and anything else the chickens got on them.

Break the eggs into a bowl.  Add the milk and the salt.  Whisk until well mixed and then a little more.  Air in the mixture makes more tender scrambled eggs.

Melt some butter in a pan over medium heat.  I use a cast iron pan and a tablespoon of butter.

Put the eggs in the pan and walk away for a few minutes.  Resist the urge to stir for a while.  ”You’re making scrambled eggs, not chopped eggs,” someone said to me once.  It’s true.

When the eggs begin to set, move the edges into the middle and let the uncooked eggs move out to the edges.  Repeat this until it looks mostly cooked.  I say “mostly” because they will still look wet.  Remember the milk is still in there and won’t set.  It will only dry and then you’ll have dry eggs.  If it looks totally done, they’ve cooked too long.

Serve immediately!

Well, yes, mine are a little brown, even though I just said not to do that. I cooked these in a pan that had been used to cook sausage, thus using the sausage fat instead of butter. Yum!

I cooked these in a pan that had been used to cook sausage, thus using the sausage fat instead of butter. Yum!

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© 2013 Hungry Chicken Homestead

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