Chickens

Epic Eggs

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At the start of October, Monica King posted about lucky chickens and using their eggs, and then I got the review copy of the book Epic Eggs. Then the fact that the name of the month begins with a sort-of egg-shaped letter . . . This is not the first time the universe has demonstrated its inter-connectivity to me.

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No mater where you are in the chicken-keeping spectrum, Epic Eggs (Voyageur Press) is a useful volume. Not merely useful, it is also nicely written by Jennifer Sartell, a long-time poultry farmer.

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First – if you have no desire whatsoever in keeping chickens, Epic Eggs has highly useful information about cooking eggs that explains the science of egg cooking without jargon – the antics of Alton Brown, which were fun in their own way.

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Next – If you were ever thinking about keeping chickens, Epic Eggs is a wonderful book to start with. Jennifer shares stories of her starting out keeping chickens, and some pitfalls to avoid. She includes numerous photos of her own chicken operation, which includes geese, ducks, turkey, and guinea fowl. She talks about the merits of these and various chicken breeds.

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If you already have chickens, it’s still a great book full of useful tips, in part due to the discussion on the various breeds, plus a chapter on adding to the flock.

 

For the daydreamer – I greatly enjoyed the chapter on which color eggs come from which breeds, and spent some time considering which I would like to have clucking and making their odd happy noise as they scratch around the yard. It is an indefinable noise that I think of as chicken purring.

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What I like about having a book like this is that it is ever so much easier to gain information without wading past web pages that in reality have nothing at all to do with the information I am searching for. That said, Jennifer has fascinating notes scattered throughout – like the “Egg Flip Cheat” or “Eggs for 007,” Ian Fleming’s original James Bond, and which eggs he preferred! I leave that for you to discover. Time for me to go make scrambled eggs with chopped fresh herbs from the garden for breakfast!

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Garlic chive leaves are fresh and ready to use all year long.

Jacqueline Soule business portrait. Tucson, AZ. © 2012 Mark Turner

Want to learn more? Look for my free lectures at your local Pima County Library branch, Tubac Presidio, Tucson Festival of Books and other venues. After each event I will be signing copies of my books, including Southwest Fruit and Vegetable Gardening (Cool Springs Press, $23).

© Article copyright by Jacqueline A. Soule. All rights reserved. Republishing an entire blog post or article is prohibited without permission. I receive many requests to reprint my work. My policy is that you may use a short excerpt but you must give proper credit to the author, and must include a link back to the original post on our site. Photos may not be used.

Make Migas! Amigas!

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Monica King is a local rancher who recently wrote about honey and bees for us.  She also keeps chickens, and has this to share.

Chickens are a common sight on farms and ranches, but did you know there are “city” chickens? I don’t mean “backyard” chickens, I am talking pets. Chickens with their toes painted with fingernail polish wearing fancy diapers or tutus strutting across the floor on the way to roost on the couch. So maybe, instead of “city” chickens, I should call them “house” chickens.

”House chicken” is not quite right either, because 100 years ago chickens were commonly brought inside the people house in winter, to warm by the wood stove, scratch at the dirt floors, and chase any bugs that were to be found in the house.

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Perhaps the best term for the dressed up pet chickens, would be “lucky” chickens, as in not living on a farm or ranch, and thus considered livestock. Maybe the chicken crossed the road to get away from the farmer’s ax?

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Which brings this to me, the realist. Daughter of a farmer, I grew up in farming community, living on a ranch today. We gather fresh eggs and cull hens and roosters when necessary. These older tough birds end up in the soup pot and canner to stock our pantry with an easy way to use cooked chicken for fast enchiladas, burritos, pot pies, soups and more. We raise meat chickens, special fast growing breeds bred for tender muscular builds, and harvest them for the freezer.

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Don’t get me wrong, I love my fine feathered friends and can spend hours on end watching their goofy antics, fighting over bugs, taking dirt baths, and just being free to be chickens. Chickens are truly a pleasure to have around.

 

Whether you wake up in the morning with an egg on your pillow, have to go to the nesting boxes to grab them, get them at the local farmers market, or buy them at the grocery store, here is a hearty ranch breakfast recipe for you:

 

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4 strips uncooked bacon, sliced into pieces

5-6 I’itoi onions or 2 scallions

2-3 medium green chilies, roasted, peeled, seeded and diced

1/2 cup cheese (I use mozzarella and cheddar)

4 corn tortillas – sliced into triangles

cilantro & hot sauce (optional)

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Add pieces of bacon to large pan, frying until desired doneness.

Add onions and green chilies, stir over medium heat for 3-5 minutes until onions are cooked.

Add sliced tortillas and stir, the tortillas will start to become soft, at this stage add the scrambled eggs and continue stirring until eggs are done.

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Turn off heat, top with cheese and place a lid on the pan until cheese is melted.

Optionally serve with cilantro and hot sauce.

My sides on this particular morning were sliced tomatoes and toast with chia-pear jam.

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Monica King is a rancher near Tucson.

If you want to learn more about keeping chickens or bees, or gardening come visit Monica and Jacqueline at the Savor the Southwest table at the 6th annual Membrillo Festival at Mission Gardens, Sunday 21 October, from 3:00 – 5:00pm.  946 W. Mission Lane, Tucson, AZ 85745.  Monica will also be selling local honey, and things made with beeswax while Jacqueline will sell books, and we will both have savory things for you to sample!  Watch the Savor the Southwest on facebook for more details.