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OFF THE SCALE!




I am not sure how to explain all of this except to say it has got to the point that I must give it a shot! First, the above photo is of one of our hens, named BaBo. She was produced and sold at our local tractor/farm store to be raised for 4 weeks or so and then slaughtered as a broiler.
Well the first time I bought about a dozen of them, along with a couple other breeds, I really thought mistakenly that I got Plymouth Rocks. So when they all started to die off in about 8 weeks, I went back in the store and said what’s up? It was a bit humorous in that two of the people that worked there had also got them and the same thing had happen. This is when we found out what they were selling was Cornish x Rocks that is the commercial broiler breed that 60 years ago had been crossed to produce a breed that has been since manipulated as such that they grow like un-naturally FAST and if you don’t slaughter in 4 weeks give or take, BHAAMM! …they begin falling over dead and which also means chances are slim to none that you going to be able to let a few of your broiler breed hens go to brood a few eggs to hatch out the next freezer full.


So that was three years ago when I bought the first clutch of peeps by mistake and when the next year rolled around and I was in the old tractor/farm store looking at da peeps… I thought… Dang! I am going to get some more and try to see if I can get them to live, wander, eat bugs and worms, crow, do all them things chickens were created to do. So another dozen and at the same time a few dozen Reds to add to the flock.
First it was amazing to watch the difference in growth rates between the two breeds. I mean in four week those cornishxrock frankenchickens were full grown and the the Rhode Island Reds were like still peeps just getting feathers and losing pin feathers. Then as time went on, as before, one by one again just seem to fall over and die. Like as if they were growing just too big too fast to support life. It was like mid to late summer and they all had fell over except for ONE! That ONE IS BaBo. Some how she is now around two years and something of a survivalist to boot.
As an example, about two months ago, we had to go into town for the day. It was late afternoon before we made it back. We could tell as we were coming up the lane something was wrong in that our chickens were shattered in trees and brush and chacking up a storm! As we were getting out of the car, we see what! There down by the burn circle, a fox on top of BaBo, chewing away! We all shouted out loudly as we advanced on the fox and so off runs the fox with still a mouth full of feathers. It was a bit traumatic as we gathered up BaBo and carried her in the house. Somehow she was still alive! So we set up a little chicken rehab hospital in the dining room and figured we’d go day by day. It was about a month of days and ole’ Babo was wanting to be back out in the hen house and so after all of that, back out she was.



NOW THE BIG SURPRISE!!!

For the last two days, BaBo has laid two eggs! I’m not sure I should even call them chicken eggs. They are about the size of a goose egg, maybe just a bit larger.



All I can tell ya is that back when I bought that book “Raising Poultry the Modern Way”, oh back in the mid to late nineteen seventies, I would of never thought I would be today explaining how a chicken grows too fast to not live long enough to produce eggs to continue it’s species, let alone if by some odd chance it did, the egg would be off the SCALE!

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Pennsylvania Farm Show 2013


Had the opportunity to attend the last day of the 2013 Pennsylvania Farm Show this past Saturday. What can one say that would even start to explain what it is like to witness every facet of Pennsylvania’s Agriculture wrapped all up in one Amazing Event?
…maybe except for suggesting that if you have never been, you should!

We have been attending Farm Shows all over for several decades and I must say Pennsylvania’s Farm Show has always been like no other. Just to walk the entire complex of buildings is a chore and even trying to decide where to go to see hundreds of shows, exhibitions and animals is nothing short of awe-inspiring.
…and animals there are!
The Pennsylvania Farm Show claims to have over 6000 animals, 10,000 competitive exhibits and 300 commercial exhibits! Once you have experienced this, you understand why the 97th Pennsylvania Farm Show also claims to be the largest indoor Farming Exposition in the country!

Instead of rambling on and on, I tried to capture the best I could everything I saw in a few photos and would like to share them now. If you would like, please take some time and click on the thumbnails and open up a larger reflection of what can only be best described as an amazing time…

Ok first I did get a chance to milk one of the biggest cows I have ever seen… I mean just one milking of this bovine and you got that 55 gallon milking pail filled to the brim …

…here are the reflections of the 2013 Pennsylvania Farm Show…

(please click on thumbnail to view larger photo)

Well hope you enjoyed just the few moments of what was a week of the 97th Pennsylvania Farm Show!

In closing one may wonder what is the future of Agriculture in Pennsylvania?

I was reminded of this as I walked all through the Ag Complex and seen among the 1000s of people many of which were young parents with babies in hand or in one of the many many strollers they exhaustedly pushed. I was reminded as I watched the hundreds of children starring in wonder of all of what they saw! I was reminded even more so as I watched these two young parents struggle with their babies stroller in making it down a escalator. I assured them this struggle would pass as I said I remember once doing the same with our children as our youngest will soon be 26. Yes time moves on and what I see in the future of Agriculture in Pennsylvania from that day at the Farm Show was Hope. Hope in the eyes of those that day standing in wonder to being one day taking part in making that way off in the future year’s Farm Show AMAZING!

…even when that means that time has finally come on Sale Day!



…I am sure too that we are All Thankful because they step up and do!

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JOIE De VIVRE

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Looking for the Joys in Life… One Pepper at a TIME!


…and finding these joys sometimes takes combining several all up into one! This one being a chance to sample and review some of Dirty Don’s Cayenne Bayou Hot Sauce made the way he remembers when he lived down back by in the Bayou…

and Coo Wee! We got some of that Bayou Hot Sauce to use!



…and use we Did! We combined some of de hot swamp sauce with the joy of cooking some of our pastured raised lamb. The dish we decided to test Dirty Don’s Swamp Juice called for using lamb livers sauteed and prepared in an Sudanese recipe… after all chances being some of our hair sheep most likely originated from the Sudan or someplace near by around in Africa… and if we traced the sheep breeding back far enough, all of them were from original sheep of the African Continent.
Ah JOIE DE VIVRE!

If you would like to view a video on where we got the recipe we used, please watch…

“Preparing Sudanese Lamb Liver Saute”
(click above orange link to view video)

…and here follows a couple photos we took in preparing the sauteed lambs liver set on fire with Dirty Don’s Swamp Sauce!

First the lamb’s liver cleaned, cut and ready to go…



{click on any photo for larger view}

… and if you want to view how to clean and prepare the raw lamb livers, watch the first part of…

“Preparing raw lamb’s liver”
(click above orange link to view video)

Chopping up the onions, garlic and preparing the seasoning…



Seasoning the onions & garlic with all spice, turmeric, coriander, black pepper…



Sauteing the onions & garlic…



Adding the liver to onions & garlic…



Not too messy yet…



Doing the finale seasoning as the liver finishes to cook…



I did step away from what was originally called for in the frying pan for this recipe. In that I used a Himalayan dried Sea Salt and and organic Chinese Ginger with just a tad of dried parsley…



OK here’s the part you got to pay Attention… The Taste TEST … two words… COO WEE!



After I took a few bits in the dip, I figure it was TIME… yes Time to pour in the Dirty Don’s Bayou Hot Sauce and set the liver on FIRE! …and on FIRE IT DID and it did not take long and the plate was empty!

So with out a Doubt…

DIRTY DON’S CAYENNE BAYOU HOT SAUCE GETS BLACK ROCK’S JOIE DE VIVRE SEAL OF APPROVAL!

DANG THAT WAS GOOD!



Now you know if you want some of this hot bayou swamp juice or one of Dirty Don’s other Hot Sauces, you can contact’em on facebook by clicking on the FROG BELOW…



Don’t Wait! This stuff is a HOT ITEM and Goes FAST!

JOIE DE VIVRE!

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A Clove a Day keeps…

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Yes there is cloves in our bellies… there are cloves on the kitchen counter…
there are cloves hanging… there are cloves in the freezer… there are dried cloves…
there are even cloves with vinegar that got themselves in a pickle …and there are also cloves in the refrigerator right now getting ready for sauteing in tonight’s dinner…

Oh and yes there were cloves too put in the ground around the gardens of Black Rock just this autumn waiting for the rest of the garden plantings to catch up next year in time for 2013 harvest!

Here are a few reflections from yesterday of some of them…

So much is written on line about Garlic that I would again as usual try to suggest you take the time to research garlic
…and if you do not already, include it on your list of things to grow & use!

Growing and using garlic is not rocket science and it is surely not a miracle food as some may wish you to believe. It does seemed to have garnished though some respect over the millenniums as being important culinius in both the culinary and medicinal arenas.

…AND

There are too some tricks in growing and storing one would be best to search out and along with some very important CAUTIONS when it comes to storing or preserving that one should understand in one’s effort as a Garlic Connoisseur.

…sow finally as the Farmer said…

Here are a few suggestions of where to go to find information & some Cloves!
First off and with out a doubt the best place to go is LOCAL! … and if you are from around these hills and valleys of Black Rock, or for that matter within a few state radius, the best and the OLDEST purveyor of Heirloom Seeds & Bulbs is

(click on any of the orange links below to visit website)
“D. LANDRETH SEED COMPANY”
…and I would also add that Landreth is not only local, yet the oldest Company in the United States still doing what it started out in 1784! … and that was to provide heirloom seeds and plants. Check out All of what D. Landreth Seed Company has to offer and no matter where you may be, order your next year heirloom seeds from the on-line catalog from
“the Oldest Seed House in America”

Here are a few more important companies to check out that was suggested by our friend & garlic Mentor/Guru Jack D…

“BOUNDARY GARLIC FARM”

“CRAZY HORSE GARLIC FARM”

“FIRLEE GARLIC FARM”

“HEIRLOOM GARLIC ARCHIVES”

“WE GROW GARLIC”

…and FINALLY some thoughts on uses and important CAUTIONS!

First on preserving and storing for future use. Remember nothing last forever and remember too the 5 P’s> “Proper Planning Prevents Poor Performance!” Proper planning & preparation always goes a long way towards sustainability in your efforts to raise your own food from year to year. Now sustainability though does not include producing botulism toxins! …so please THINK and LEARN…

…here is some preliminary information for GARLIC on

“PRESERVING & STORING”

…and here are just very preliminary thoughts on the medicinal values of Garlic… read wisely and always consult proper medical advise from your health care provider for your own needs for medicinal garlic use…

“UNIVERSITY of MARYLAND”

“NATIONAL CANCER INSTITUTE”

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Just NASTY!

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Remember if you are going to grow your own hot peppers, be careful when handling them, especially with the Ghost Pepper Variety! Wear good rubber gloves and DON’T, I repeat DON’T get any oils in your eyes!

… Now for a few tips on how to use them in the Kitchen, view the following…

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