Have You Tried Chimichurri?

Chimichurri Mise en Place - fast and simple!

Chimichurri is a fresh condiment originating from Argentina and Uruguay made from finely chopped fresh parsley, oregano, garlic, olive oil, red pepper flakes and red wine vinegar. It is a bright, tangy, fresh sauce traditionally used on grilled meats, but is good on almost anything and everything!! Try it tossed with steamed vegetables, with chicken, fish or shrimp, drizzled over eggs, used as a dressing for pasta salad, drizzled over pizza after baking, used as a sandwich spread with (or without) mayo. The possibilities are endless ... and it takes only 10 minutes to make!

Chimichurri - start to finish

Chimichurri is not Pesto, they may look similar ... they are both herbaceous, green sauces made with olive oil but they are not at all similar in flavor. Also, Chimichurri has no nuts or cheese making it a perfect, condiment for nut and dairy sensitivities, vegetarian, low carb, gluten free and Paleo diets.

 Some Chimichurri recipes use cilantro instead of oregano and some add smoked or hot paprika and shallots which are not authentic. I prefer the cilantro version for vegetables, salads and pizza, and the authentic oregano version for grilled meats. Although, the flavor of cilantro is an acquired taste for many.

Creamier sauce

For a creamier sauce, add everything into the food processor then pour the olive oil in while the machine is running. This will thicken the sauce slightly and blend it to creamy looking and smooth.

With grocery prices on the rise, why not add cilantro and Italian parsley to your herb garden this year? Chimichurri can be made all summer and frozen for future use to liven up your winter meals. It can be stored in a covered container in your fridge for up to 5 days or packed in small jars and given as gifts marked with the preparation date, best before date and freezing instructions.

If you have never heard of ... or tried this tangy, fresh sauce, what are you waiting for? 

Chimichurri with Cilantro        Yield: about 1 cup

1 cup fresh cilantro *see Notes below

Chimichurri drizzled over Vegetarian Pizza

1 cup Italian (flat leaf) parsley *see Notes

1 shallot 

3 large cloves garlic

Zest of 1 lemon

2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar

1/2 tsp. sea salt

1/4 tsp. coarse ground black pepper

1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes, optional

1/4 to 1/2 cup olive oil

Thoroughly rinse the cilantro and Italian parsley several times. Pick out any bruised or yellow leaves, remove heavy stem ends. Peel shallot and garlic, roughly chop. Combine all ingredients except olive oil in a food processor and pulse to reduce the bulk of the herbs. Slowly pour in the olive oil and pulse to desired consistency. Stop periodically and scrape down the sides of the processor bowl. Allow to rest for at least 15 minutes for the flavors to marry before using.

 

Fresh and packaged for the freezer

Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. For the freezer; package in 1/4 to 1/2 cup portions or freeze in an ice cube tray. Then store in airtight containers in the freezer for up to 1 year. Thaw only the amount needed.

**CHEF'S NOTES:

Do not use dried herbs for this recipe, only fresh will do!

One 'bunch' of fresh cilantro or Italian parsley is about 1-1/2 cups each.

Until next time ... Bon Appétit!

Recipe by Sally Rae
Photos by Sally Rae

Thai Double Blue Butterfly Pea

The 'Blue Butterfly Pea' is an edible, blue flowered, vining plant, native to Southeast Asia. The vines are smothered in dazzling indigo petals. The flowers are used as a natural food dye and soothing tea to calm the nerves. The double flowered type seed I grew was found in Thailand, where blooms are used to dye everything from teas to rice and desserts. Butterfly pea has a mild, floral flavor and a most intense natural color making it a novelty culinary ingredient.

At the beginning of Covid lock downs in 2020, I received 'The Baker Creek Seed Catalogue' as a gift. I was really impressed at their speed of delivery, impressive selection of rare and unusual seeds and free shipping! I published a Blog March 2020 with my selection of seeds. Since then I have grown and tried all of the seeds, some not very easy to start or grow and as one of my clients said, "... these seeds are rare ...and difficult to grow is one reason why." Also this year shipping is no longer free, there is now a set rate charged.

Grown in a sheltered space

Previous to finding the seeds in this catalogue, I had been unsuccessfully searching for 'Blue Butterfly Pea' flowers for tea and to color food and beverages. When brewed into a tea, it is a beautiful blue color ... add lemon juice and the color transforms in front of your eyes to pink. Desserts, beverages, ice cubes, hard boiled eggs, pasta and rice can also be colored blue with these incredible little flowers. 

Blue Butterfly Pea tea changes color when lemon juice is added

You can purchase the dried flowers online in various forms; teabags, dried whole flowers and powdered. Or grow the plants from seed, save and dry the flowers for special occasions or package and give as gifts to your foodie friends... or use them fresh.

I have seen 2 different methods to color white rice: add the rice and water to a rice cooker and add 3-4 fresh flowers, stir then turn the rice cooker to the 'Cook' position ... or to use dried flowers ... steep the tea, cool; add rice and use the cooled tea instead of water. The steeped, cooled then strained tea method was used to cook this beautiful Blue Thai Jasmine Rice. 

Blue Butterfly Pea Tea used to cook Thai Jasmine Rice

Butterfly Pea is a tropical perennial that can be grown as an annual in cooler climates. It is most commonly started from seed but I found it spotty to germinate even after scarifying the seeds and soaking over night. My efforts and frustration were worth the effort. I was thrilled to grow, collect and dry a small jar of the flowers for my culinary use. The plants prefer full sunlight and will trail freely along the ground or up a trellis or stakes. A beautiful, rewarding gardening and culinary experience!

Until next time ... it sure feels like Spring is in the air, looking forward to garden season!
Bon Appétit!

Photos by Sally Rae 

Winter Garden and January Harvest

Snow and cold, unusual for the Island ... Dec. 30, 2021

Finally the weather has warmed up after 3 weeks of snow and cold that started on Christmas Eve, I checked the winter garden crops last week. The cabbage heads outer leaves were slimy from the -15C and didn't fare well through the cold, even though I had them covered with tarps. They are edible with all the damaged leaves removed but I've used them as chicken food. The hens went crazy for the fresh, crisp vegetables!! Great food and entertainment for them in this weather. The kale did well and is now very sweet from the cold. I pulled back the maple leaves and straw mulch from the root crops and was really surprised to see the beets are still okay. I dug 3 celeriac roots, a gallon pail of carrots and the few beets that were left in the garden. With the warmer temperatures the carrots are starting to grow little 'hairy' roots so I piled the mulch back on top of the remaining 2 rows for harvest in 3-4 weeks or when I need them.

January Harvest - beets, celeriac and carrots

The garlic shoots are poking through the mulch and even the strawberries are showing signs of new life. I had to pull some perennial weeds and grasses to try and stay ahead of them. Once the snow and ice was gone and the temperatures above 0C we had a good stretch of fog. It was cold and damp but at least it wasn't rain, so digging the root crops was a bit easier than if the soil was really wet. Not much can compare to the flavor and crunch of fresh, organic carrots harvested in January! After growing up on the prairies, I still marvel at the food I can grow here year round! I've put in my seed orders for the garden this year and am starting to plan and gear up for Spring!

On a sad note, our eagles' nest blew out of the tree in two crazy wind storms we had in December. The eagle pair was back in October and November bringing more branches to the nest. They were back early in January, sitting in the perch tree I'm sure wondering, where the heck is our home? We hear the eagles around and sometimes they come to the perch tree but so far there has been no activity to rebuild the nest in the same location. At this point it is too late in the season for them to start building. We will miss the close entertainment of Nature they gave us. The extreme weather conditions have been breaking records and making headline News for more than a year now. Every season has had an extreme, difficult result. Welcome to the new normal...

Until next time ... Stay safe, warm and dry,
Bon Appétit!

Photos by Sally Rae

Soup Recipe Switch Up

Sunshine Squash in the garden

My 'Featured Post' last month, 'Thai Sweet Potato Soup'... highlights one of my favorite flavor combinations and a soup recipe all served up in a bowl of comfort! Last week I had time to make a few recipes to fill the freezer. I had a great harvest of Sunshine Squash and wanted to use them for squash soups. The first go-to was from my cookbook that starts with a big pan of 'Curry Roasted Squash' from page 270+271 of 'For the Love of Food'. The left over roasted squash becomes 'Creamy Curried Squash Soup'. Yummmm!!

There were no sweet potatoes in my cold storage but lots of winter squash, so I decided to experiment and transform last months 'Feature Recipe'. The soup switch up became 'Thai Squash Soup' and was a great success. Sunshine, Buttercup and other Kabocha type squash are what I prefer for their dense, sweet flesh and vibrant color. Give it a try and let me know what you think...

THAI SQUASH SOUP      Yield: 8 servings
This soup is easily made vegetarian by using vegetable stock and omit the whipping cream. If you will be freezing the soup, do not add the whipping cream.

1 large Kabocha type squash; peeled, seeds removed and 3/4"diced (8-10 cups diced)
1 onion, fine diced
3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 generous Tbsp. organic coconut oil
1 1/2 Tbsp. freshly grated ginger
5-6 cups flavorful chicken or vegetable stock
1/8-1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

Thai Squash Soup

1 fresh lemongrass stalk
2 Kefir lime leaves
salt and black pepper to taste
1 can (400 ml) unsweetened coconut milk
1/2-1 Tbsp. fresh lime juice, optional
1/2 cup whipping cream, optional
Finely chopped cilantro or chives for garnish

In a large stock pot melt coconut oil over medium heat. Add the chopped onions, garlic and ginger. Sauté until softened and fragrant but do not brown. Clean the outer leaves then pound the bulb end of the lemongrass with a skillet or flat meat tenderizer. Add the stock, cayenne, lemongrass, Kefir lime leaves, salt, pepper and diced squash. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, partially covered for 20-30 minutes until the squash softens.Stir occasionally.

Remove the lemongrass and Kefir lime leaves. Use an immersion blender and purée the mixture until smooth. Whisk in the coconut milk and bring back to a simmer, stirring often... do not boil!

Stir in the whipping cream if using. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary with lime juice, powdered ginger, cayenne, salt and pepper. Ladle soup into servings, sprinkle with finely chopped cilantro or chives.

Until next time ... Stay safe, warm and dry,
Bon Appétit!

Recipe by Sally Rae
Photos by Sally Rae

Summer Recap

Where has the time gone?? Storm Season is already upon us with high wind warnings and rainfall for the next few days ... at least! Finally I have time to sit in front of the computer and as long as the hydro stays on through the storm, it's all good.

Pullet Eggs from the 4 Chicks

The extreme weather events of this year made for a more labor intensive existence for the garden, the hens and us! Several daily hikes to the garden for shading, picking and watering, ice blocks and bed sheets up to keep the chickens cool, hosing down the dogs and we even used the air conditioner in the house this summer. By August the four 'Olive Egger' chicks started to lay ... obviously from the photo of their eggs, they are NOT Olive Eggers but an assortment of brown, blue and green'ish shelled eggs. Out of the four chicks I raised, all four were hens ... now that's like winning the chicken Lottery!! Not one Rooster in the bunch! After hand raising these chicks from 3 days old, I couldn't bring myself to splitting up the gang, or sending some to new homes, so I have kept them all. They are friendly, personable girls and they add joy to my Covid lifestyle.

Celebrity F1 tomato -greenhouse grown

The tomatoes I grow near the house for seed saving were a disaster. With the heat dome, their pollen was sterilized and each plant managed to produce only one or two fruits. The Yellow Hawaiian never matured and my Sally's Outdoor Salsa were small and half of the fruit had hard green flesh that were eventually raided by rodents. 

Heaviest tomato this summer

The only tomatoes that did well were the Celebrity F1 that I had in the greenhouse. Unfortunately in my opinion, they looked great but not much flavor. I got a very heavy harvest of large, uniform fruits but most of them ended up in the Roasted Tomato Sauce pot!

The Mercury Cucumbers were a slow start. I staggered plantings in the greenhouse and still lost five plants earlier in the season to stem rot. I had to restart more seed so ended up a bit behind. Once I got four plants thriving in the greenhouse they just took off. There was no way I could keep up, so friends, neighbors, the deer and chickens shared the bounty. I cleaned out the greenhouse when the weather started to cool and just a few days ago finished the last few from the fridge. I have tried numerous varieties of cukes and prefer the smaller Persian types. For one person they are perfect for snacks, salads, sweet pickles and every morning as a snack as I watered.

Greenhouse harvest

This summer I introduced more pollinator flowers to the vegetable garden. I really noticed an increase in bees and other pollinators so will continue this. The sunflowers and nasturtiums always self seed as does the dill weed and oregano. One of the sunflowers produced a two-faced flower. I have never seen this before so had to get proof ... an unusual sight indeed! I have had 'Siamese Twins' on the dill cukes, patty pan squash, some tomatoes and the Mercury cukes but never a sunflower until now!

Two-faced Sunflower

 

The garlic and onion crops were fantastic this year. The largest garlic heads were set aside for seed and planted in a new, prepared bed on October 4th. The bed has been mulched with straw and I have six large bags of dry maple leaves in the shed for winter mulch when the weather turns really cold.

For now I'm happy to get a few indoor chores done and finish making my Christmas gifts of truffles and chocolates.

Until next time ... Stay warm and dry,         Bon Appétit! 

Photos by Sally Rae

Heat Wave

From June 25th to 29th, 2021 we were locked in a Heat Wave. Record breaking daytime temperatures in BC that (for us) were 34-38 degrees Celsius, with the humidex taking us into the mid 40C range. There was little relief through the night with temperatures higher than what our normal daytime would have been. The sweltering temperatures were due to what climatologists call a “heat dome” – a strong ridge of high pressure that traps warm air underneath it like a dome, allowing the sun to bake the earth below, creating a heat wave that lingers for days. So from cold, wet Juneuary to sweltering, record breaking heat, it has been quite a month for the record books!

Chicken Shantytown with Dr. Bonnie and Peeps

The first few days I wasn't prepared well enough to keep the chickens cool. We have never experienced temperatures that high in our 31 years on Denman. The chicken run is in a partial shaded area but the afternoon sun just baked them. They were panting with their wings held away from their bodies even in the shade. By afternoon the thermometer inside the Ritz reached 110F. After a day of that, I put up their rain tarps but it was still too hot so out came the old bed sheets and panels from the old greenhouse. It looked like a shantytown but it worked to keep most of their enclosure in the shade. 

Frozen fruit and vegetables, cool down treat

In the evenings I took in the hose and wet down the yard hoping to bring the temperature down a bit with the cold water. They have an old kiddie pool with sand for dust bathing so I poured in a pail of cool water and the older birds were in immediately cooling their feet in the mud. I tried ice cubes to cool their drinking water, only to see them melt before my eyes. So I started freezing big ice blocks in stainless steel bowls to float in their water dishes. Also at night I put a block of ice in each house when the birds were closed in, hoping again, to reduce the temperature a bit inside. In the heat of the afternoon I froze a larger stainless steel bowl with some cooked rice, diced frozen vegetables, old berries from the freezer and other vegetable and herb scraps. The big frozen blob freaked them out at first but once Buffy realized there were blueberries in that frozen blob she was pecking and getting a nice cold treat along with being entertained.

Greenhouse; burlap shades and fan

The garden and greenhouse were another story... I hung burlap along the south side of the greenhouse and put in a fan to blow the heat through. Everything is thriving but I watered every morning and evening for an hour or so. From the wet, cold early June, I still had the burlap on the ground around the garden boxes and hoops over the beds. The hoops were used to suspend burlap, double remay and shade cloth over the delicate or newly seeded beds. One bed that isn't doing well are the strawberries, I didn't shade them and in hindsight I think that might have helped. The fantastic picking I got in my last Blog post is no longer. The berries are small and some either shriveled and dry or have white, burn marks on them. The only good thing is that they become more food to put in the chickens fruit and veg frozen treat!

Garden shades on hoops; remay, burlap, shade cloth

Today our temperature is bearable, everyone is more comfortable and we can have the house windows open again. There is a breeze off the ocean and we can see the Coastal mountains again so the haze of pollution is blowing out a bit. I have continued with the watering and making ice blocks for the chickens. Our local News has said, "welcome to the new normal of climate change" ... we have never used the air conditioning of the heat pump but finally on day three I was tired of toughing it with just fans. Even though the dogs were groomed short, they were having a hard time in the heat, so we all appreciated the cooler house. It did cross my mind to find a way to bring the chickens into the cool house ... but I think that was just the heat getting to me.

Most of BC broke temperature records for the month of June and also broke all time records for heat. I don't look forward to this experience every summer but at least this was a learning experience of how to keep everyone here safe and healthy in the extreme heat.  

Until next time ... Stay cool ... and Bon Appétit 

Photos by Sally Rae 

Summer Solstice

Summer Solstice, the first day of summer, the longest day of daylight hours in the year, June 20th. However you name it ... it's summer ... and finally we have hot sunshine with a beautiful ocean breeze!

Black Copper Marans in the playpen

It has been very busy around here with getting the garden planted, trying to keep it alive through our cold and unpredictable early Juneuary, watering, pulling weeds, integrating the 4 Olive Egger chicks into the flock and now a pair of adorable Black Copper Maran, 9 week old chicks. They are the final addition to my future colorful egg basket! 'Harriet' and 'Speck' are housed inside a 'playpen' with a big cat cage for a house, all set up inside the chicken enclosure. This allows a safe 'meet and greet' with the 3 older hens and the 4 Olive Eggers. It keeps the new, smaller young birds safe from the chasing and pecking from the existing flock. For the photo I have removed the greenhouse panel that covers the pen to keep everyone in their allotted areas. The new babies have been here a week and the past few days I have let them investigate inside the Ritz. Twice I have let them in the big enclosure under my supervision, to attempt to integrate them. Both times they were chased by a few of the Olive Eggers. The new babies run to and pace around the outside of their playpen trying to get back to safety, so they are not ready yet.

Kale Feast

This morning I finally thinned the volunteer kale and dill weed from the strawberry bed. The chickens were very happy recipients of the extra greens. I also pulled them a Napa Cabbage, for some reason the earwigs are totally destroying the outer leaves but some of the larger heads have a nice clean center that we can use... not so with the one I pulled today, so again the chickens got the greens and the bugs as a bonus!

Since cleaning up the strawberry bed today, there is better air circulation around the plants and nutrients will all now go to the berries. I always complain about the poor June crop of Seascape Strawberries, well, not this year!! I had the 3 older hens 'working' in the garden this Spring in their Chicken Emporium ... digging and eating bugs. They did a great job and left a bit of fertilizer behind!

Solstice Harvest 2021

My Solstice Harvest today ... tons of beautiful dill weed, an impressive bowl of strawberries for June, the first broccoli heads, first Partenon zucchini and 2 fresh eggs in the coop!

I will be busy watering this week with temperatures predicted in the high 20's to low 30C.

Until next time ... Happy Solstice, Happy Gardening ... and Bon Appétit 

Photos by Sally Rae

Covid Chicken Crazy

Custom 'Chicken Ritz' by Peter Karsten

My 3 older hens have been moved back to the garden with their portable Chicken Emporium. They will spend time on each raised garden bed, digging and foraging for all the delicious bugs emerging in the Spring soil before I plant the vegetable garden.

I have really enjoyed the hens being near the house this winter. They are now more comfortable with me and come running when I go outside, so adorable!! I have discovered dry, Black Soldier Fly Larvae that are high calcium and desirable treats for backyard chickens. Two of the older hens now eat these special treats from my hand!

I had a larger, custom hen house built by Peter Karsten, he named it the 'Chicken Ritz'. This gives the hens much more floor space than the tiny portable house used in the garden. 

New  paint job!

It is a permanent structure in the yard, near the house for the summer and winter when the hens are not working in the garden. More floor space gives me the opportunity to get a few more hens that lay different colored eggs... I'm a bit obsessed with color and the Ameraucana blue eggs in the fridge make me soooo happy!! I want to add 3 more hens, one of each; an Olive Egger (olive green egg shell), a Black Copper Maran (dark chocolate brown egg shell) and a Barred Rock (pale pink egg shell). The color of the egg shell does not impact what the egg looks or tastes like inside ... an egg is an egg, but it sure is fun seeing an Easter basket of naturally colored eggs every day in the fridge!

Olive Egger chicks at 1 week

In February I got 4 Olive Egger chicks at 3 days old, in hopes that there will be one hen. The problem with straight run (unsexed) chicks is that more than half will be roosters. At 4 weeks it looks like I have 3 hens and one rooster! Of course they all have names... in the 1 week photo; back left is 'Sylvester', back right is 'Two Step', front center is 'Dr. Bonnie' and far right is 'Peeps'. It will be difficult to select the one that I  keep and hopefully re-home the other three.

'Peeps' at 4 weeks

By 4 weeks they were happy, messy chicks! 

They love a hanging broccoli crown (tether ball style), or a few leaves of romaine lettuce or garden kale in their cage. As a team they aggressively devour it in no time. They have a small sand box for dust bathing and I give up trying to keep their area clean. I remove the mess and put in clean bedding, sand and feed, soon as those little chicken feet reach all that clean, they are scratching it everywhere ... not to mention the poop that goes along with all the food consumption!!

Escapees!! Peeps, Two Step and Sylvester at 5 weeks

They are quickly losing their fluff and feathers are now growing on top of their heads leaving just a little halo ring of fluff. I have had to put a cover on their cage because they have been flying for about two weeks now and I found Sylvester out of the cage, on the cold floor.

At 5 weeks they are aggressive with food and treats and fly on top of the cage at every opportunity. I turned by back to fill the feeder, only to find 3 of them sitting on top of the enclosure! It seems their tails have grown overnight and Sylvester has feathers completely covering his outer legs and now has feathers growing out of his center toes. His little red comb looks like a tiny jagged saw blade. So I am quite sure there are 3 girls and 1 boy in my Olive Egger brood.

In a few more weeks ... or once they are fully feathered and no longer using the infrared brooder light, they will get moved into the Chicken Ritz and kept inside for a while to acclimatize to new surroundings. 

This is the other side of the Ritz, with a double nest box and lid to collect eggs from outside of the house. And yes, that is a 'chicken window' in the door! I was surprised to find Peter had added this adorable feature. The house is raised 20" off the ground on 8" square cedar posts. This allows the birds to be outside but still sheltered from our 'Wet Coast' weather. It also gives them a place to dust bath. We are working on the chicken yard when the weather is dry. With rain today I finally had a minute to sit at the computer to send news of the chicks just in time for Easter!

Until next time ... Happy Easter, Bon Appétit  ...stay healthy, be safe, wear a mask and take good care!

Photos by Sally Rae

Chicken Ritz design and construction by Peter Karsten 

Chicken Ritz paint job by Sally Rae

Safe and Healthy Holiday Season

There must be something here that I can eat!!

With the shortest day of light behind us now, I look forward to longer, light filled days. Dealing with Covid19 through the majority of 2020, has been a challenging experience for most of us. We cannot let our guard down with this virus! The holiday season will look very different this year for all of us.

I am fortunate to live on an acreage with a large vegetable garden and walking trails through the woods. Our temperatures are predicted to drop below freezing in the next few days. Today was time to pull more winter carrots from the garden and put extra mulch on the carrots, strawberries, garlic, cabbage and kale. As I pulled up 2 small rows of carrots I found a climbing cutworm in the soil. The chickens will be put to work to clean up that raised bed in the Spring after all the carrots, beets and kale are out. I pulled a one gallon pail, five pounds of assorted carrots including my first try of Kyoto Red Carrots, a Japanese sweet red carrot from Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Co.

Dec. 20th, 2020 ~ 5 pounds of fresh garden carrots

They say the bright red color becomes much darker when grown in winter, so I only pulled a few for comparison sake.

Until next year ...  have a safe holiday season.

From my home to yours ... Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and Bon Appétit 

... stay healthy, be safe, wear a mask and take good care!

Photos by Sally Rae

Organic Garden Cleaning Crew

Secure hen house and caged run with removable cover

I do not use pesticides on my vegetable garden. So after over 30+ years of gardening the same raised beds, the bugs are multiplying and are very happy ... making me unhappy and my soil very frustrating to grow anything. 

I grew up in a market gardening family business on the prairies. When I would complain to my Mom about my Denman bugs, she would always say; "When grandpa took the garden out ... the chickens went in to clean up." I had chickens in the garden about 7 years ago but within a few weeks predators took out 2 of my hens. It was fenced to keep deer out but not the raccoons, eagles, hawks and mink. Ever since then I've wanted a chicken tractor type enclosure that would fit on top of my raised bed garden boxes. This would make it much more secure to predators. We still had the small hen house it all just needed to be updated and pieced together to work in my garden.

Hardware cloth covered run with rain panels on top

The small hen house from 7 years ago was put on a dolly with four 8" pneumatic casters. The wheels rotate 360 degrees, so moving it around the garden is a breeze for one person! The house also got a fresh floor of plywood installed, a bit of insulation for the walls and a second nest box with a cute door for me to access the eggs easily. I added a hanger for their feeder and a small door was cut out with a ramp installed outside for access into the run. Two turnbuckles attach the hen house and the run together.

The caged run is 2"x2" wood construction with half inch hardware cloth. I read somewhere that; "chicken wire keeps chickens in. If you want to keep predators out hardware cloth with a small grid is the way to go."  It is more expensive but well worth it. The section of the run at the hen house is 3' in height, the rest is 2' and it sits on top of the raised beds that are 4'2" wide by 13' long. It needs to be manageable for two people to lift and move it. We had old corrugated fiberglass panels removed from the greenhouse laying around so they make the perfect cover to keep the rain and possible snow off the ground and the birds. They are light and easy to move on or off when needed.

Hen house and access doors

The doors and gates are all secured with hasp closures and carabiner clips. The cage run is held tight onto the wooden garden box with rubber bungee cords hooked into large eye hooks that are screwed into the side of the raised beds. Now this is chicken security!! One friend called it my new 'Chicken Emporium' ... I kinda like that!

The first garden box I had the hens clean up in the 3 photos above, was the bed for the garlic that was finally put in a bit later than usual on October 20th, 2020. They did a great job aerating the soil, eating bugs and slug eggs and leaving a bit of fertilizer behind! After cleaning three of the garden boxes, it was time to move 'The Chicken Emporium' up closer to the house. Their water was freezing over night and it was quite a bit hiking up and down to the garden several times a day. I really enjoy having them closer to the house now so I can visit them more often. I've left some of the big, old broccoli plants in the garden to pull for them and have some winter lettuce in the greenhouse that they love!

Goldie, L'il Red and Buffy - Inside, happy and secure

Now that they are up near the house, they get moved to a new grassy patch every week or so. Along with hen scratch, broccoli plants, fruit and vegetable scraps and warm oatmeal with blueberries on the cold mornings, I think they are spoiled, happy hens! I just love chickens and I'm thrilled to have a small flock again... even more thrilled that I know they are safe as I can make them!

My new flock are three older girls, I got them mainly as my organic garden cleaning crew, the eggs are a bonus! In the photo at right, inside the run... the buff colored hen far back is a Buff Orpington who I've named 'Buffy (the Vampire Slayer)', she lays beautiful brown shelled eggs. The other two girls are Americaunas who lay pale blue shelled eggs. The lighter, golden one in front is named 'Goldilocks' and the one behind her is 'Little Red Riding Hood'. Yes... I name my chickens, always have... so, for short they are Buffy, Goldie and L'il Red. A week or so after I got the hens, Buffy started molting... feathers everywhere and now she looks a bit like a plucked chicken. They also stop laying when they molt and as the daylight hours shorten. For now, Goldie and L'il Red are still laying so we get about 4-5 beautiful blue eggs a week.

The beautiful eggs are a bonus!

The girls on the high roost

We don't use a lot of eggs, so they have supplied us well. And it makes me smile to look in the fridge and see blue eggs!

They will spend winter up by the house so I can keep their water fresh and tend to them as the winter rolls in. In the Spring, before planting the garden they will be moved back into the garden and put to work scratching around and having a bug feast on the early spring bugs. The first garden bed they cleaned this fall had Proteknet insect netting over it this summer and in May I found three Large Yellow Underwing Moths trapped inside. They are the culprits of the climbing cutworm so I was happy to get the chickens in there to find any eggs and pupae. I wrote a Post about the climbing cutworm Pupae in 2016 and will write a post in the Spring about the Moths that I found. I'm so happy to finally have a secure 'Chicken Emporium' and my new organic garden cleaning crew!!

Until next time ... Bon Appétit ... stay healthy, be safe, wear a mask and take good care!

Photos by Sally Rae 

'Chicken Emporium' design coordinator - Sally Rae 

'Chicken Emporium' construction assistance and supervised by Sally Rae