Wholesome Wednesdays: The Incredible Edible Egg

Eggs have gotten both good and bad wraps in the last few decades. I tend to think of eggs as this:
Great for you in moderation when they are sourced from healthy, well managed chickens. Don't eat them in every meal, but give your body a well deserved protein boost and tap into those good fats when the mood strikes you. And of course, if you know you have cholesterol problems, maybe lay off the eggs most of the time - but certainly don't ban them from your diet altogether (see last paragraph).

The "American Egg Board" says this about eggs:

For only 70 calories each, eggs are rich in nutrients. They contain, in varying amounts, almost every essential vitamin and mineral needed by humans as well as several other beneficial food components. Egg protein is the standard by which other protein sources are measured. A large egg contains over six grams of protein. A large egg has 4.5 grams of fat, only 7% of the daily value. Only one-third (1.5) grams is saturated fat and 2 grams are mono-unsaturated fat.
The American Heart Association has amended its guidelines on eggs! There is "no longer a specific recommendation on the number of egg yolks a person may consume in a week."

Well that all sounds very nice. Why then does Calorie count. com give eggs only a C+ ? I guess the con of egg's inclusion of 75% our daily cholesterol is kind of a buzz kill. For more answers I plan on doing some research at the Egg Nutrition Center. Visit their site for yourself for scads of information.
They reiterate the eggseptional qualities of the egg:

With all the media attention on cholesterol, consumers often lose sight of the fact that eggs are a nutrient rich, affordable contributor to a healthy diet. Not only do eggs contain the highest quality source of protein available but they also contain almost every essential vitamin and mineral needed by humans. In fact, egg protein is of such high quality that it is used as the standard by which other proteins are compared. Eggs have a biological value (efficacy with which protein is used for growth) of 93.7%. Comparable values are 84.5% for milk, 76% for fish, and 74.3% for beef. Eggs really are the best protein money can buy, and it has all those other valuable vitamins and minerals too.

But what about the cholesterol?? I would rather not take all the yolks out of my eggs when cooking them, and i certainly don't plan on desisting my homemade mayo consumption. On looking in my copy of Nourishing Traditions, there is oft mention of the benefits of eggs in the diet and the much smaller negative impact they have on the blood cholesterol levels compared to impact that the consumption of red meat has.

Properly produced eggs are rich in just about every nutrient we have yet discovered, especially fat-soluble vitamins A an dD. Eggs also provide sulphur-containing proteins, necessarey for the integrity of cell membranes. They are an excellent source of special long-chain fatty acids called EPA and DHA, which play a vital role in the development of the nervous system in the infant and the maintenance of mental acuity in the adult.

I need all the help i can get in maintaining my mental acuity!
NT goes on to describe the superior quality and nutrient content of eggs from well managed, truly free ranged hens, with much better fatty acid profiles including the great Omega-6 (again, good brain food).

The bulk of the research i can find stresses that dietary intake of cholesterol, and the reduction of that intake, does not necessarily make a huge difference on the cholesterol in your body. Cutting out eggs isn't going to do the trick, in other words.  If you have cholesterol issues there may be many other ways of reducing your body's levels than simply reducing your dietary intake. I am no doctor, i'm just someone who likes to eat eggs and who has perfectly normal cholesterol. I personally think you would be much better off cutting out all or most of your red meat intake than cutting out eggs. They're cheaper, they're better for you and the environment (if sourced from properly managed flocks), and they're so versatile. Look at this beautiful pasta i made from freshly laid eggs and harvested herbs yesterday.

So, here's to your health! Tomorrow, recipe for egg salad= perhaps not the best recipe for weight loss, but full of the good fats, and quite satisfying.

The Perfect Boiled Egg

Oh, perfectly boiled egg, how long you eluded me. Greenish yolks, runny yolks and everything in between. For years i thought i knew the secret, but now i'm sure: i've got it down!

Boiling an egg is very easy... to mess up! I am notorious for getting my eggs all ready, turning the water on to boil, then walking away to who knows where only to return to the kitchen to eggs boiling rapidly for who knows how long! So: follow this technique and you'll have perfectly boiled eggs every time - every time you don't wander off and forget you're boiling eggs, that is!

• Place your eggs in a pan, in one layer.
• Cover eggs with cool (room temp is fine, but not warm) water by an inch or a little more. You can add some baking soda if your eggs are very fresh (this supposedly makes them easier to peel).
• Bring the eggs to a boil, uncovered. As soon as the boiling is nice and boily (not just little simmer bubbles) put a lid on the pot and turn off heat. Set a timer for 15 minutes and voila!

**Note: I set my timer for 15 minutes because i let the water boil enough to be really boiling - and sometimes a little too long (the aforementioned walked away and forgot about them). Some recipes call for 17 minutes for large eggs to be hard boiled. My girls' eggs tend to be medium to a small large so 15 minutes suffices, and i still have a few softish yolks, which i like - not a fan of chalky-hard yolks. Test a few different cooking times and see how hard you prefer your eggs to be.

When the timer goes off, drain out the hot water and put your eggs in a bowl of cool water (with ice perhaps) to stop the cooking. Peel and eat warm, or stick in the fridge for later use. I like to make my egg salad with freshly boiled eggs, still warm (i think the warm eggs help to cook the diced onions a teeny bit, softening their flavor).

Ta da! That's it. Boiled eggs are the perfect food on the go: they come in their own tupperware (that you can compost afterwards) and they're great with salads, on sandwiches, or with just a pinch of salt.

And speaking of eggs: check out this year's Funky Chicken Coop Tour if you're in Austin this weekend. It's sure to be Eggstravagently Eggciting!

Almost Easter Time!

Wahooo!  Easter used to be one of my favorite holidays as a kid: egg hunts, cadberry mini eggs, a new stuffed animal, searching for my easter basket: all things i eagerly anticipated for weeks!
As this is the first Easter for us with our 4 lady chickens, we've decided to throw a party for friends and family who will be here in town. We've been saving up the eggs for weeks, and i think i just counted a whopping 70 eggs in the fridge! I plan on boiling many of those eggs with some natural ingredients, some homegrown by me, to try out natural dye techniques. The rest i'll have boiled and ready to dye (with regular ole Paas dyes) for my guests.

I've been planning my party menu, pretty simple things (egg salad!) from me plus potluck items folks will bring. I thought i would use this week leading up to the holiday to post a different recipe or tip each day, relevant to Easter. I may not have all the outcomes or photos yet (won't be making most stuff until the saturday prior) but it seems unfair to post a bunch of Eastery recipes AFTER the fact!

So, join me the rest of this week for some fun and hopefully tasty Easter recipes and ideas. I'll be sure and take photos and feedback of all the recipes when i actually do them and post them next week as a show and tell post.

First up: How to boil the perfect Egg! Check back soon!

Tools Need Love Too

Sandpaper + Teak oil + sad unloved tools i seem to always leave out in the rain = a much prettier sight indeed. The teak even helped lubricate the sticky metal cutting parts.

Much softer on my little hands!

It's Grilling Season!

We've already sparked up the grill once this spring, but i thought i'd share what we're grilling tonight.

1 shark steak
1 cabbage
1 tatume squash
boiling up some interesting soba noodles i found (sweet potato/buckwheat)

I marinated the shark steak with spicy szechuan sauce, soy, garlic, sprinkle rapadura, and some cracked pepper with a dash of curry. The cabbage and squash got the same treatment plus some malt vinegar, sesame oil and minus the sugar.
I nestled the shark betwixed the veg in a pyrex with a lid for about 6 hours and grilled on as high a heat as my clogged propane grill could muster.

I flipped the cabbage often but allowed the Shark to sear on one side before flipping it. I think everything cooked for a total 20 minutes or so. In the future i'd like to start the cabbage first on a lower heat with lid covered to soften the cabbage a bit. I like it crisped here and there, but i'd rather it be 'soft with crispy edges' rather than 'sort of cooked with crispy edges.' The husband isn't too keen on cabbage, so he got most the squash and i ate most the cabbage. I love it!

The shark was a bit tough, which is the manner of shark: more like beef steak than fish. I think in the future i may poke it a bit more before marinating to allow the marinade to permeate the flesh. Still tastey!
The soba noodles were great: tossed them with a little more soy sauce, they made a great compliment to the not so flavorful fish.

Do you have any tips on getting my grill to put out more flame? It has plenty of propane, but three of the burners seem to be constipated - hardly any flamage can get out.

On Tidying Up

My mother has always said that i cannot function with a messy workstation. This is very true.
I also have a difficult time dressing myself when my closet is a disaster area.
Thus: I reorganized my closet for Spring! I don't put 'away' (as in attic) any of my cold weather clothes, as there's always that camping trip to pack for where it might actually get below 70 degrees, but i can at least move the heaviest sweaters to the top shelf that i can't actually reach, right?

Here we are, all folded, divided, and arranged by hierarchy of wearing:

But as you can see I still have some work to do on my 'crafting area' (like buy a proper sewing table that maybe has DRAWERS.

It makes me happy to have the house nice and clean before a weekend, as i know it will turn to mess by the end of Sunday. Alas, i have good intentions but lack pristine tidying skills. At least the kitchen area has been staying rather clean. Or at least well organized.

Do you have any tricks to keeping your spaces organized?

Overweight or Sick?

No, not me - my pullet, Belina. Buff Orpingtons are known for being large and fluffy, but she's gotten to be more than just fluff.

I noticed a while back that she kinds of 'waddles' when she walks - a bow legged chicken? Upon closer observation, i felt of her 'tummy' and was startled to feel how 'full' it seemed. Plump? Bloated? Fatty? Not sure. The skin between her vent and her underbelly is quite pink as well. Needless to say i'm concerned -- but as she seems healthy and is laying regularly, i probably won't be doing anything about it.

I've done some research and the closest ailments that match her symptoms are -Salpingitis, which is inflammation of the uterus and oviduct, -proventricular (glandular stomach) which is from irritation and sometimes a tear in the crop, and -acites, which is fluid in the abdomen.
The first two can be cured with antibiotics, and the last by draining the fluid from the abdomen. Um - i'm not about to stab my otherwise healthy seeming chicken with a syringe unless i'm sure i know what is wrong with her. I mentioned earlier that i'm stocking up eggs for an Easter party we're throwing, and you're not supposed to eat eggs when treating with antibiotics, so that will have to wait.

So, Belina: what is wrong with you, if anything? I can't exactly put her on a 'diet' so i think i'll give everyone a course of antibiotics after Easter - we'll see if there is any change in her swollen body. Belina may be a pet, but i'm not in the market for expensive vet visits for a very friendly livestock animal: we'll see how she does and hope that nothing bad happens to her or any of the other chickens.

Waddle on, Belina. Waddle on. And maybe stop eating so much?

Do you have any experience with ailing livestock? When do you choose to intervene?

New: Wholesome Wednesdays

 Things have been a little slow on the cooking/recipe writing front around here, so i thought i would implement a new feature. Every Wednesday I will highlight some ingredient that i either grow or cook with frequently. I will try and focus on wholesome things ranging for basics, such as wheat to more 'exotic' things like turmeric.

For my first WW post i thought i would do some research on Fava beans.

I first planted fava beans this fall to act as a cover crop for our gourd patch. My husband unfortunately (fortunately for me as i've reclaimed them in the front yard) decided not to use the planters he used last year in lieu of planting in the ground, so the cover crop aspect of these beans has been lost- for the gourds at least. I still have one beautiful plant growing in my front bed, which will be followed by winter squash happy to ingest the nitrogen the beans leave behind.

Fava beans (Vicia faba), like many other legumes, are nitrogen fixers: they take in the nitrogen from the atmosphere and place it into nodules at their roots. Most of this nitrogen goes directly back into the plants - not into the soil (feeding neighboring plants) as many people assume. However, this nitrogen will make its way into the soil, and your successive plantings when the vegetation (roots, leaves, fruits) of the plant are worked into the soil. This is best done by planting the nitrogen fixing legumes as a cover crop between plantings, cutting them and tilling them in a few weeks before your next planting to work the plant matter into the soil. You can also cut, till in the roots, and reserve the greens as a 'green mulch' around the base of your next planting. This is a pretty fascinating document that explains it all.

Anyhoo, back to the fava bean as an edible veggie. Some basic nutritional data can be seen here or here, on one of my favorite obsessive-compulsive-dieter-friendly websites. The raw beans contain about 75% carbohydrate and 25% protein with a whopping 35 grams of fiber per cup (that's 150% of your daily recommended amount).  Pretty good! Now, what if i wanted to eat them cooked?
Well, this is interesting: cooking the beans reduces the calories for a serving of one cup to 187 from 512, the carbs to 33 from 87 grams, fiber to 9 from 37 grams, and protein to 13 from 39. Cooked fava (also known as broad) beans have fewer calories and carbs, but also  much less fiber and protein. Which would you prefer?

Fava beans are gorgeous plants, tall and lush with striking black and white flowers. I will be planting them as a cover crop again, and look forward to eating this year's crop. But what to do with them?
I may end up lightly sauteing or steaming them and tossing them in a light bean and grain salad. But i'll probably keep some to add raw on top of green salads for a fiber boost.

Do you have a favorite recipe featuring fava beans?

Popping Perennials and a Lovely Lawn

Taking today to simply wander the gardens, water a few germinating seeds and fertilize the yard (I use LadyBug Brand 8-2-4).

 From upper left to bottom right: Lemon tree, bolting cilantro and salad greens, fava beans, bolting sorrel, huge parsley.

I used to not take care of my lawn in the least, other than mowing it. But last fall i spread elbon rye seed and fertilizer and am now proud to show off one of the prettiest lawns on the block. I do not irrigate other than the veggie beds, so my lawn will wither in the hot summer sun. But i feel a yard is a luxury, to be enjoyed in its season but not to have limited resources spent on it. Fertilize the yard in fall and early spring, rake in, and enjoy the benefits of softness under foot. You may also wish to spread corn gluten in the spring before the weeds germinate: corn gluten prevents any seeds from germinating (so don't put it where you planted wildflowers!) and thus prevents weeds. It is also a great natural fertilizer high in nitrogen: the weed and feed of organic gardening.

Multiplying onions working on their upper bulbs. I'll harvest those in late Summer, eat some, share some, and plant some in a new bed in the back yard. May pull most of these out and eat them, making way for pepper plants next spring.

 

I planted some borage, marigolds and malabar spinach in the back by the hubby's gourd patch yesterday, fenced off from the chickens who really want to 'help' mommy plant: a game they call "hide the seed." I Plan on putting in the second planting of corn tomorrow and maybe start the pole beans and cover it all with my homegrown mulchy compost.

 Corn baby getting bigger!

The salvias are coming back with a vengeance, but i'm still waiting to see if the lantanas and lavender make it. I pruned all my woody perennials back in February, fertilized them and added some compost around their roots, and am now being greeted with lovely blooms. My large culinary sage is just about to bloom as well. I found it quite interesting when looking back through last year's photo set on flickr: the sage and daffodils are blooming at exactly the same time this year as last, despite the very different spring weather. How interesting that the plants seem to know when they're due to blossom.


Loving this gorgeous spring weather. So are the starlings and squirrels: i keep running them off the beds out my studio window. Poor little kales never stood a chance.

What are you planting (if anything) this week?

Results are IN!

That's you, Sincerely Emily! Congratulations.

Sorry it took me so long to get this post out - this past week has been insane. Nothing like a music festival that brings millions of folks to the city you live in to get you to be actually social and adventurous. I hears some great bands last week, and had a wonderful time with my husband and our friends. The weather was mostly good until a fluke rain/close to freeze descended. My tomatoes were snug under some sheets and today it's blue and sunny.

Let me know if you'd like whole wheat, white, flavored or plain, Emily - and where i can send your pasta. Just go to the contact page of my website, and i look forward to hearing from you!

Hopefully my ducks are back in a row so that i can get some real posts out this week.

Happy spring, everyone!

Friday Friday: Last Chance to Win FREE HOMEMADE PASTA!

Hello all.

Today is your last chance to enter my drawing to win a batch of fresh, homemade pasta. Please visit the original post and enter your comment for your chance to win.

I am off biking and participating in music listening shennanagins all day today for South By Southwest Music Festival, but will do my best to post the winner either tonight, Saturday, or maybe Sunday if hte shennanagins keep me out as late as i think they might.

Have a wonderful weekend!

-Miranda

Hummus, Crackers, Granola Bars

Hmm, I think my kitchen is in need of some Spring Cleaning....

With that out of the way, i set out to prepare some hummus and crackers to bring to a friend's house for Ladies Night, and some nutty/seedy Granola Bars for my hubby's work lunches.

Made the hummus from dried garbanzos: 2 cups dried beans covered with 3 inches of water (didn't need that much) with 2 tsp baking soda. Boil then simmer for about 1 hour, until beans are falling apart. Let cool a bit and transfer the beans with some (not as much as i used) liquid into a food processor or blender. This time i seasoned with: 4 cloves garlic, smoked paprika - hot and sweet, salt, pepper, 4 T lemon juice, cayenne, few dashes curry powder, 1 habanero, some olive oil.

The crackers took flour, olive oil, warm water, fresh rosemary, dried garlic. Recipe adapted from 101 Cookbooks.

Granola Bar Recipe adapted from Enlightened Cooking.

I didn't have any OJ around so i subbed some splashes of honey/Peanut Butter and milk instead. I also added a pinch of coconut and subbed 1/2 cup honey roasted peanuts and 1/2 cup sliced raw almonds for the 1 cup whole raw almonds. I used raisins instead of prunes and used roasted pepitas (so yummy) so i think there's a good balance of sweet/salty that Andy should like. I also stuck in some mini peanut butter cups to the top of the bars to add a little excitement to his life.

Okay, now i really need to vacuum. I love the morning light streaming in my back porch, not so much loving all the little granulets on the floor glaringly exposed!
PS - don't forget to enter for the free pasta! Drawing ends Friday!

8 Months Old and Laying Like Champs!

We're gearing up for Easter here at the homestead. The fridge is full of eggs destined for hard boiling, dying, and hunting amongst friends. The girls have been much obliging: Olive didn't even take a day off last week. The four laid 23 eggs between them, and the prior 3 weeks each brought to nest 22 beautiful eggs.

It is really feeling like Spring here: germinating corn babies, popping wildflowers, timely rain quenching the thirst of baby plants. Easter used to be my favorite holiday (you just can't beat Cadbury mini eggs in my opinion) and i'm excited to share my first Easter With Chickens with a few friends, and perhaps some brunchy cocktails.

Another first this spring is a new publication, Whole Kids Lifestyle Austin. It's a magazine and a community that promotes a holistic, eco-friendly and sustainable approach to life. They’re passionate about all things related to creating healthy communities – whether it’s the latest in educational science, the newest eco-fashion product, or an update on organic foods.  Obviously WKL fits perfectly with all of my interests and goals, and i've been lucky enough to be a contributor. I'll be writing articles with family friendly recipes, gardening/chicken raising tips, and other homesteading ideas that may or may not be in line with current blog posts here. I'm also contributing fun artwork for the kiddos to look at while their parents read the useful stuff between the jackets of the magazine.

Check out the first article i wrote for Whole Kids Lifestyle Magazine. It is a very brief primer on the raising of chicks up to 8 months old. I had to limit my words (which is hard for me to do!), so many details are left out- it's still a good basic guideline to get you started if you're interested in bringing home some Easter chicks. The online version of the magazine is up now and the print version should be in stores (like Central Market, Whole Foods, Sunset Valley Farmers Market, etc) in April.


Will you be donning your saddle shoes this Easter?

Pondering on Feminism and Homesteading....

I've always been a bit of a feminist. I never planned on changing my last name, i focused my life and learning on my own career, i married for love not money, and i tend to wear the pants a lot of the time (much to the husband's chagrine, i'm sure).

I met my husband in graduate school, wearing this t-shirt from college.

He's always said he was a little intimidated by me that day: "that loud feminist chick." 

But lately, i've been enjoying daily activities like: baking granola and granola bars for a few hours to keep my husband well fed while at work, tending to my flock and my gardens to provide healthy food for my family and friends, mending and sewing our clothes and balancing our budgets. This is not sounding overly femiminst... but maybe it is.

Is it "okay" for us independent spirited women to embrace a lifestyle that may be considered 'demeaning' to woman's lib? But what does that mean, anyway? Liberation? Shouldn't that mean we can choose the life and lifestyle that is best for us and those we love?

My friend Sarah B recently sent me this awesome article. It tackles the idea of the modern woman/feminist/homemaker and how she (we) deals with her modern role in society and the family.
I found this article to hit very close to home and really validate what i'm doing with my life. From kitchen gardens to chickens to spending more time cooking and crafting for our families. I may not be a mama, and i doubt i would homeschool if i was, but the article covers a lot of good stuff - but it's brief! So give it a read. I know many of my followers are homemakers, and others are working women simply looking for recipes and tips on living closer to nature. I would like to see what all of you think about this topic.

So, let me know what you think of the article- what did you like/dislike, connect to, be inspired by?

PASTA PASTA PASTA **GIVEAWAY**

As promised, the pasta giveaway is here.
One batch of whole wheat pasta made with backyard fresh, organic, free range eggs and optional garlic and herb flavoring could be yours!

A local winner could swing by 'the farm' next Monday for uber fresh pasta, and out of towners would receive their pasta dried and in the mail.
I can't guarantee that pasta that is shipped in the mail arrives nice and unbroken, but i'll package it up as carefully as i can.

For your chance to win simply comment on this blog post with a link to your favorite (easy) bread recipe or visit my online portfolio/shop and let me know what your favorite image is. 

Special favors will not be granted to folks who forward those links to a few friends, but you'll make me a little happy :)

Have a wonderful week, and check back on Friday to find out who the winner is!

Sunday Chicken Musings/Humor

My chooks are spoiled, ridiculous girls.

Chickens are supposed to 'know' that it is bed time and amble back to their coop and roost. This activity is often so reliable that folks can install automatic doors that open and close with the beginning and ending of the day.

My girls?
Apparently they still think my husband and I are the head hens and need to be snuggled with. When the sun goes down our girls don't head for their coop, they huddle around the back porch: "Chickens in the house?"

When they were wee chicks we would often put them to sleep on our tummies while we sat on the couch. I guess they still think that's the place to be.

No, girls. That porch chair is not your roost.

Olive, our wild little Wyandotte who's life started out in a farmyard, is the only one with any sense. But as she's the bottom of the pecking order, nobody listens to her and Andy has to lead them into their proper resting place.

Do you raise chickens? Do they have any ridiculous antics you'd like to share?