Coffee Grounds in the Garden

If there's one good thing that has come out of being stuck on the sofa with this bad back, it's that I've been surfing away on various gardening and homesteading blogs.  One of the things that I've been thinking about alot is the stuff that we throw away every day.  In particular, the food scraps and other things that can be going into our new composters.

One interesting post that I ran across is over on Craving Fresh and covers how to use coffee grounds in the garden to improve your soil.  I'm not a coffee drinker, but J. is and every morning he throws out his grounds and a paper filter.  Apparently, coffee grounds make a great fertilizer because they're really rich in nitrogen!  So, instead of buying commercial fertilizer, I've got a ready supply already.  Just add 2 cups of grounds to a 5-gallon bucket of water, let it steep for a few hours and then pour it onto the plants.  And here are a couple more uses for coffee grounds that I found on the Interwebs:

• They supposedly deter slugs and snails but I haven't had a problem with those yet.  I guess slugs don't like caffeine.
• Grounds are naturally acidic, so they will help balance the pH of your soil if it's on the alkaline side.
• They're lightweight, porous, and high in organic matter, so they are a great amendment to potting soil.   
• You can use them like mulch around plants that love acidity (blueberries, roses or azaleas, anyone?)  Just don't pile them more than an inch deep or you may end up with mold.
• Worm farms love coffee grounds.
• Starbucks introduced a grounds recycling program in 2001.  You can read more about it here.

Now I just have to find a container for J. to put the grounds in rather than in the trash.  (It sounds like a big deal, but his coffee maker is on our 2nd floor near the bedroom so that he doesn't have to go all the way down to the kitchen on the 1st floor every morning.)  Maybe I need to save up for this cute little thing.

If you've used coffee grounds in your garden, I'd love to hear about it.  Did you see a noticeable difference in plant growth?  Do you have any other uses for coffee grounds?

Cannibalism is a Nasty Habit

Uh-oh.  I guess I've always dreaded this day would come and it's finally here.   Somebody broke an egg and then ate it.  Oh the horror in the hen house!  And no one was fessing up.  So I cleaned up what was left of the evidence in hope that it won't happen again.  My naughty secret is that I've gotten a little lazy this winter - I've only been checking the coop in the  morning and collecting the eggs.  I guess I'll have to do that twice a day to make sure the eggs aren't sitting there and creating a temptation.  It also probably hasn't helped that it's been in the 20's and the girls have been cooped up.  I suspect they're getting bored.

Boredom? Accident? Dietary issue?  Could be lots of reasons.  But let's take a look at how you can keep your chickens from eating their own eggs:

1. Collect eggs promptly. The faster your collect eggs from the nesting boxes, the less chance they will get accidentally broken or pecked.  My 9 hens all want to lay in the same nesting box, despite the fact that there are 4 nesting boxes in the coop.  I've actually seen 2 hens stacked one on top of the other in there fighting over the box. 
2. Watch their diet.  One of the reasons chickens might start eating their eggs is to make up for a lack of  protein in their diet. Make sure that you are feeding your chickens a complete feed that contains all necessary vitamins and minerals, and not giving them too many starchy treats.  I don't think this is my issue because I don't see any other pecking and I'm feeding them a balanced diet of Layena and table scraps.
3. Pad the nest.  Use plenty of soft bedding in the nesting boxes so the eggs don't rattle around once they're laid.  In the interest of recycling as much as possible, I've been using shredded bills and junk mail.  It works great and it's free!
4. Provide some entertainment. When chickens are shut in together (as usually happens in the winter months), they get bored.  Providing a treat ball, Flock Block, or something to entertain them can keep them from pecking at eggs and each other.
5. Stop bad behavior quickly.  If your chickens have started eating their eggs, replace the eggs with something inedible like a golf ball or a wooden egg.  Hopefully, they will realize they can't eat the fake egg and will stop eating their own.  I have one wooden egg that I leave in the nest at all times. 
6. Use negative reinforcement.  Some folks have had good results by empting out the contents of an egg through a small hole and then replacing the inside with something spicy like hot mustard, jalapeno relish or habanero sauce.  The hope is that your chickens should learn to associate this experience with their own eggs and stop pecking them. 
7. Alter your nesting box.  Angle your nesting box so that fresh eggs roll down a ramp to a safe distance. 

Do you have any other suggestions for how to keep your chickens from eating their own eggs?  I'd love to hear them!

Find out what other folks like me are doing on the Homestead Barn Hop.

Say Cheese! It's National Cheese Lover's Day

As connosieurs of all thing cheese, CrankyPuppy and my other fuzzy companions are absolutely delighted that today is National Cheese Lovers Day. They're looking at me expectantly right now, wondering what kind of cheese we're going to eat first. Well, some of us didn't get this great day off (what's up with that!?) so I'm going to have to dash their hopes about sitting around and eating cheese all day.

But, in honor of such a momentous occasion, let's look at a recipe that is oh so yummy, easy and cheesy to boot. I give you Cheese Hand Pies!

Cheese Hand Pies

Pastry Ingredients
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
6 tbs butter cut into blocks
1/2 tsp salt
1 small egg, lightly beaten
3 1/2 tbs milk
2 tsp white vinegar

Filling Ingredients (**you can fill these with anything, like apples and butter!)
3/4 cup cottage cheese (drained)
1/2 cup smooth ricotta cheese
2 tsp finely grated Romano cheese
pinch salt & pepper
2 small eggs
1/2 tsp paprika
1 tsp milk

Directions

1. To make the pastry, combine flour, butter and salt.
2. Rub the butter into the flour with your fingertips until it is crumbly.
3. Add the eggs, milk, and then vinegar. Mix well until the dough forms a loose ball. Flatten it slightly.
4. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour.
5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
6. To make the pastry filling, mash the cheeses together.
7. Mix in salt, pepper, paprika, and 1 egg.
8. In a separate bowl, whip the remaining egg and 1 tsp of milk together to make a glaze.
9. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface to about 1/8" thick.
10. Cut 4 inch rounds with a cookie cutter or a glass, cutting them as closely together as you can. Re-roll the scraps if you needed.
11. Brush around the edges of the pastry circles with the glaze.
12. Place about 1/2 tsp to 1 tsp of filling in the middle of each round, spreading it out lightly into an oval.
13. Flip one half of the pastry over the filling to create a half circle.
14. Press the edges together to seal them and then fold them up and over to make a lip.  This will keep the cheese filling from leakingout.  You may need to stretch the ends slightly to make them  match up.
15. Place the pies on the baking sheet and brush the tops with glaze.
16. Bake for 20 minutes or until they are nicely browned on top and bottom. Let them cool slightly before eating, as they will be piping hot on the inside.
17. Enjoy!

Recipe Secrets: Recreating Houlihan's Baked Potato Soup

Soup's on! On tap for dinner today, that is. Have you had Houlihan's Baked Potato soup? If not, you're in for a real treat. I'm in love with this soup and have to have it at least once a week (friend Paula and I usually go for lunch at work). This is the first time I've tried to recreate it here at home, so let's see how it stacks up to the original.

CrankyPuppy's Baked Potato Soup ala Houlihan's

Ingredients

(makes 4 to 6 servings, or 2 if you're a hog like me)

2 cups russet potatoes , diced but unpeeled
1/4 lb butter
1 cups yellow onions , finely diced
1/2 cup flour
1 quart warm water
1/4 cup chicken stock
1 cup instant potato flakes
2 cups heavy cream
2 cups milk
1/2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
Salt and pepper, garlic powder and dried basil (to taste) 
Grated cheese, bacon and\or scallions (optional, for topping)

Directions

1. Prick washed potatoes and bake in a preheated 400 degree oven until a fork pierces the center easily.  Remove potatoes from oven and allow to fully cool.  Remove skin and cut potatoes into 1/2" to 3/4" cubes.
2. Melt butter in a large saucepan.  Add onions and saute over low heat for 10 minutes or until onions are translucent. Don't let them burn! 
3. Add flour to onions and butter and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring until the flour is absorbed.
4. In a separate container, combine water, chicken stock, potato flakes, and seasonings. Stir until thoroughly mixed and no lumps remain.
5. Add slowly to onion mixture, stirring constantly so no lumps form.  Increase to medium heat and continue cooking until the soup begins to gently simmer.
6. Add milk and cream, stirring until smooth and lightly thickened. Lightly simmer for 15 minutes.
7. Combine the potatoes with the soup to complete.
8. Season to taste with salt, pepper and garlic as needed.
9. Serve topped with cheese, crumbled bacon and chopped scallions (optional).

More Pics from "Eagle Days"



Well, nuts..my pictures of Goldie, the Golden Eagle, and Miss Moose, the bald eagle, were much too blurry to post here.  Luckily some of them turned out, though.  Hope you enjoy!

The American Kestrel is the smallest raptor in North America.  Looks at those beautiful colors!




Beautiful barn owl




A somewhat blurry picture of a Great Horned Owl.  When you're standing in front of this bird and he's looking at you, it feels like they are staring right through you.  Those eyes are huge and a vivid orange!



Snowy Owls: A Rare Opportunity!

Snowy owl hanging out and catching a snooze at Smithville Lake

This crank puppy is in love with birds - not just chickens - but bird of all kinds  Especially of the raptor variety.  Here in Kansas City, we currently have the opportunity of a lifetime to view the rare snowy owl, a raptor that normally lives in northern Canada near the Arctic circle and normally winters in Canada.  So it is very rare for them to be located this far south and the bad news is that they are here because of hardship.  Apparently, there's been a huge boost in the owl population and a severe dip in their main food source - the lemming population.  (Clicky for those of you who don't know what a lemming is - I certainly didn't.) The average snowy owl can eat up to 1600 lemmings per year.  They're the largest owl in North America, coming in at almost 2 feet in height and with a wingspan of over 5 feet.

There are currently 5 snowy owls that have been spotted on Smithville Lake, just north of Kansas City.  This one posed for us all morning long as part of "Eagle Days", a joint education project sponsored by the US Army Core of Engineers, the Missouri Department of Conservation and the US Parks Service.  It's an annual event where residents can come by and learn about the bald eagle, which nests in our area regularly, and actually see them in the wild.  They have spots setup around the Lake with spotting scopes.  Unfortunately, we were able to see a bald eagle sitting in a tree in the middle of the lake from about a mile away with their scopes, but it was far out of reach of my best camera lens.  (Must correct that situation!)

Having held the snowy owl above in my camera lens, I can say that they are breathtakingly beautiful birds.  But viewing them comes with a note of sadness.  According to a local news story, many of these owls will not make the return trip home.  Operation Wildlife rescued one last week after it was hit by a car and broke its wing.  Unfortunately, the owl didn't survive.  Another was struck by a train in Kansas City, Kansas.  Since they're from the tundra, they're a little naive about cars and power lines.

I've got some other pics from Eagle Days that I'll be sharing with you in my next post.

Goodbye to a Good Dog

Freckles has been a part of our life for a little over 6 years after we fell in love with her at an adoption that the Columbia Humane Society held.  We drove 2 hours to go see her and bring her home with us to be a companion to our 8-year old black lab mix, Chase.  They were both the same age.  We lost Chase early last year and Freckles has never been the same.  After Chase died, we brought Freckles inside permanently so that she wouldn't be alone.  She loved to steal J.'s seat on the sofa if he got up - the warm, comfy spot was just too good to pass up.  But it seems that old age has finally caught up with her as well.  For the past couple of days she hasn't been able to really walk or to stand on her own.  We could barely get her to drink, much less eat anything.

The farm is full of heavy hearts this morning as we say goodbye to her - a sweet, loving, beautiful Australian Shepherd.  She was what every dog strives to be - a good dog, a loving friend.  There will be no one to herd us or our trio of Pomeranians now. 

Goodbye, sweet pup.