A Bike Riding Chicken??

Yep you heard correctly.  I thought I'd share a bit about my friend Pepper which is one of our chickens who is named after my late thirteen year old dog Pepper Jean.  No, I don't think it odd one bit that I have had two pets with the same name.  I like saying Pepper Jean.  And they are both pretty special animals!  In fact, not only is Pepper, the chicken, the ring leader of my egg layin' posse, she follows me around, sits in my lap and would probably sleep in the bed with me if I let her.  Yea... not gonna happen.

 

This past weekend, I taught her a new trick that would have probably landed me a good job at Opryland if it was still open.  At first I was just riding laps around the inside and front of the shop on my bicycle and when I was going through the door over and over, Pepper was just standing there watching me each time without moving.  I said to her"you're not scared of this bike a bit are you.... wanna ride?"  So I put a feed sack in the basket hoping she would just sit down in there... didn't work.  I coaxed her up the front wheel and onto the edge of the basket with a little white bread.  But she got nervous and jumped down when the bike started moving.  Me, not wanting to give up just yet, tried again this time placing Pepper Jean in the middle of my handle bars which are thicker than the basket.  I gave her a couple of bits of bread for a trick well done then started to move the bike.  She was facing me this time which made her feel more comfortable but she didn't even attempt to get down or show any signs of being nervous.  After a slow lap or two around the shop we stopped at the refrigerator for more bread and from then she rode the handle bars for a good fifteen minutes with only the flap of a wing for balance every now and then.  The other chickens craned their necks to see what was up with this circus trick their fellow hen had learned but showed little interest other than that.  I had fun never-the-less and Miss Pepper learned a new trick and I gained a new level of trust with my chicken friend!

 



Black Bean Delish Side Dish

I have had a thing for black beans for some time now.  I love a good tasty heap of well-seasoned black beans on a chip with a nice dollop of sour cream resting on top.  When I cook black beans as a side dish it's hard for me to keep a spoon out of the pot while they are cooking! 

Last summer, I tried my hand a growing black beans in our garden.  What an easy thing to do and such fantastic surprise to shell the dried bean pods.  I ended up with a couple of quart sized canning jars full and a big smile from me!  It is probably cheaper to buy a bag or can of beans at the store but it's not near as much fun.  And a gardener's job should always be rewarding.  That's why I like to try new things in the garden.  I've already been seed shopping and have my magazine marked with sharpie and post-its all throughout. 

Black Bean Delish Side Dish

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

water

1 packet Sazon

1/4 cup ketchup

a handful each of green pepper, red pepper and onion chopped (how's that for measuring)

1 clove garlic minced

4 or 5 dashes hot sauce (please do not omit this, and please use Texas Pete)

a few dashes black pepper

In a sauce pot, cover black beans with water, doubled (meaning about an inch over the beans.)  Add all ingredients to pot and cook at a simmer for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

If you choose to use dry beans, soak the beans overnight.  Drain beans the next day.  Use the steps in the canned bean recipe except increase cooking time by an hour and water by 2 cups. 

I seriously wish I had a picture of the finished product but sometimes you gotta blog when the moment hits you.  I am making my black beans for lunch and they have another 30 minutes to cook so.  You'll just have to make them and see!

BTW - if you don't have a garlic mincer or don't feel like getting it out and washing it after, here's an easy trick.

Place the peeled garlic clove between a small folded sheet of wax paper.  Lay a wide knife on top of the garlic and give it a good whack or two.  Chop slightly and you're good to go.  You dont' have to use a knife, just anything non-breakable with a solid surface for crushing.

A Helpful Potato Trick

A wise old dude up at the feed mill (as my husband described him)told Shaun's Dad about this little trick.

Two years ago, as we did not grow potatoes last year, we grew potatoes on our farm and Shaun's Dad grew potatoes on the farm next to ours. While the potatoes did turn out fantastic, both stored and canned, we had a time fighting potato bugs. I have a book, Rodale's, Successful Organic Gardening, Controlling Pests and Diseases, which is handy to have as it has pictures and describes just about any problematic insect one might find in their garden. This book calls our potato bug Colorado Potato Beetle. These little reddish orange bugs with black spots (in their larvae stage) nearly devastated our crop eating leaves and stems which wound up killing several of our plants.

On the next farm over, no bugs were found. Potatoes were put out at the same time only about a quarter of a mile in distance from each other yet Gary's potato plants had no bugs. We found out what he had done and are well on our way to giving it a try for ourselves this year and I am going to share the tip with you. How it works I'm not sure. If it will work... I intend on finding out. The canned potatoes were like gold to me, all the way to the last jar. I aim on canning more this year.

Buy a regular pack of potatoes which you can find at the hardware store or feed mill this time of year in whatever variety you wish. Take each starter potato and cut the ends off. Not a huge chunk just chop off a sliver. Next, in order to make more plants, cut each potato in to fours. If it is a large starter you can make six. Slice across and the across each piece again. Lay the wedges on a tray and store in a safe place, away from bugs or mice, or dogs, or cats. In about a week the potato starters will heal, as Shaun calls it, and will be ready for planting. Once in the ground each one will sprout, a plant will form on top of the ground and little to big potatoes underneath amongst the roots and hopefully this little trick has worked and the bugs for the most part will stay away from the leaves and stalks. Happy Gardening!