The Red Fox and Lame Lucy .........................

Farm Friend Friday ~ http://www.verdefarm.com/

Last Sunday , Dh and I went to the Shakori Hills Festival to enjoy some music and dance. We came home around 10:00 p.m. and drove down to the chicken coop so I could close the door and lock it. As we came down the drive we spotted a red fox running away. When I opened the gate to the chicken run I found a guinea lying on the ground dead. The door to the coop had blown shut and I was afraid to look inside , but I opened the door and the chickens were roosting and all was well inside. I couldn't get an exact head count since it was dark , I thought Lame Lucy was inside. But the next morning when I let the chickens out I realized it was Lame Lucy that was dead. I'm not sure how she died , the fox may have grabbed her through the fence and hurt her or she may have had a heart attack , but it didn't get inside the fence. I didn't see any visible marks , but she could have had puncture wounds I couldn't see. I know the fox was trying to get her out , it had started digging at the fence. She apparently gave up on getting Lame Lucy and went after the others. I found a pile of feathers in the backyard and have another guinea missing. She didn't have a guinea in her mouth when we saw her , but she was running from that area. I think it was one of the young guineas I just released. We had 8 keets that hatched last fall and they've been in a holding pen , I sold 4 of them and decided to keep the other 4. I released them the week before , but 3 of them have been coming back to the pen at night , so each night I lock the gate after they come in. The fox probably has kits to feed because she came back Tuesday night and tried to get the guineas that were in the holding pen. There were signs of digging and a few feathers outside the pen , but she wasn't successful that night. Thankfully the 3 guineas that have been coming back to the pen at night decided it wasn't a safe home anymore and have been flying up into the tree with the others to roost the last two nights. I'm not sure what to do about the fox problem , but hopefully the guineas are on high alert and can outsmart that fox.

How do you handle fox/predator problems ?

~ Farm Friend Friday Blessings ~

JoyceAnn

Tasty Fried Dandelion Blossoms

Farm Friend Friday ~ http://www.verdefarm.com/

Each Spring these beautiful yellow blossoms start popping up everywhere , dandelions are probably the most well known wild herb. But most people consider the plant a nuisance and unsightly on their well manicured lawns , that's a shame. Dandelions are very nutritious and can be used medicinally for many health problems. If you would like to read more about their nutritional value and medicinal properties , click here ~ http://www.wildmanstevebrill.com/Plants.Folder/Dandelion.html ~. Today I'm sharing a recipe I tried for the first time last Spring and they're absolutely delicious. Dandelion blossoms should be gathered in the middle of the day when they are fully open and dry. You should always harvest from areas that haven't been treated or sprayed with chemicals. You may get a few bugs as you gather , so be sure to wash well. I bring them inside and emerge in a bowl of water for a minute , make sure you remove any bits of stem that may be attached ..........................

spread them out on a cloth and let them drain while you're mixing up your batter.

You'll need .......

1 egg

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup milk

Cooking oil

Add the 1/2 cup milk to a bowl , add egg and whisk well , add your favorite type of flour and whisk. You can add salt and pepper if you like , it's optional.

Dip dandelion blossoms in batter , cover completely .......

I use olive oil to fry , but it should be heated on a low heat , my oil got to hot the first time I made these. Start on med-low heat , watch closely , you may to need to adjust heat depending on your stove. Drop your battered dandelion in and let them cook until browned on each side. Remove from oil and drain on paper.

Fried dandelion blossoms are delicious with your favorite dip , we love them with ranch dressing. They're also good as a dessert , served with honey , maple syrup or my shag bark hickory syrup for dipping.

Hope you'll give them a try , I think you'll like them.

~ Farm Friend Friday Blessings ~

JoyceAnn

Cooking Up Some Dandelion Greens ....................

I'm linking up with " Farm Friend Friday " , click the button on my sidebar to learn more about this event hosted by " Verde Farm ".

I love this time of the year when the dandelions start rearing their beautiful little heads , but before they blossom .............................

grab a basket and head outside to gather some of the green leaves. If you gather the younger leaves they will be less bitter , dandelions tend to get more bitter after they bloom , but they're still edible. Be sure you identify and gather dandelion leaves only.

I always wash my greens 3 times or until they're clean and I don't see any dirt or trashy bits in the water.


~ Double Dandy Dandelion Greens ~



Dandelion Leaves ~ 1 lb

2 or 3 Garlic cloves

1 or 2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

6 Dandelion Blossoms

I like to cook my greens in a cast iron frying pan , fill the frying pan about halfway with water and add your greens. Bring water to a boil and reduce heat , let greens cook for about 10 minutes . Remove from heat and strain greens , let pan cool for a few minutes , dry the pan , add your extra virgin olive oil and minced garlic to pan , cook on low heat until garlic starts to get clear , add greens back to pan. Stir to coat greens with oil and garlic , heat thoroughly. Remove from heat and I like to chop the greens with a hand held chopper while they're still in the pan. Place on plate , sprinkle with dandelion blossom petals. Serve with boiled eggs and cornbread , be sure to add a few dandelion blossom petals to your cornbread batter and a dash of vinegar over your greens. Enjoy !!


Hope everyone has a Wonderful Weekend !



~ Farm Friend Blessings ~
JoyceAnn

~ My Grand Parents Farm & Farm Friend Friday ~

I'm participating in an event called " Farm Friend Friday " , if you would like to learn more , click on the " Farm Friend Friday " badge on my sidebar , it will take you to " Verde Farm " , the host of this wonderful event.

I grew up on my Grandparents farm , we lived across the road from them in a house that my Granddaddy help build. My Grandparents died several years ago , since then the property has fell in despair. I've heard that my 2nd cousin has bought the farm/home place and they are planning to remodel the old house. I'm not sure if they will keep the old barn and other buildings , so I made a visit and captured some pics before they became just a memory. There were 13 kids raised in the house above , my Dad was the youngest. The pic above shows a side profile of the front of the house , it's so grown up around it that I couldn't get a good picture of the front of the house. It was a beautiful house in it's day , white with black shutters and wooden shingles under the eaves of the old tin roof.

This photo shows another side view , the small edition off the back was the kitchen and back porch. Grandma had prickly pear cactus growing under the double window , I was always fascinated with it and came home a many of days with those prickly spines in my hands (LOL). I guess I always had an interest in herbs/plants.



This is a back view of the house , the back porch had a large sink for washing up after visiting the barn yard. We would always wash our hands before heading inside , I loved that sink. My Grandma was short and Granddaddy was probably of average height , he built the counters and sinks low for Grandma. My girls remember how low the kitchen counters were , they said the kitchen seemed like a playhouse because they could reach everything. The overgrown bush near the steps is a Camellia , I remember seeing Grandma take a burlap sheet and cover it in early spring when we were expecting frost. She loved her animals and plants.


This old building had 2 sheds and an area for storage. Granddaddy kept his tractors under there when I was young , after he died the car was parked under there. There was another garage/shed across from the back porch that the car was kept under. The car was only used to go to church on Sunday or to the doctor occasionally. He had an old farm truck that was used for farm chores and his trips to our small local town store.


This is the old barn , the shed on the right housed the tractor sometimes or the tobacco trailers. My Granddaddy raised tobacco , the loft was used to store tobacco and hay. On the backside of the barn , there were stalls for the cows. When I was young they had a milk cow , I remember Grandma and Momma milking her back there in one of those stalls.


To the right side of the barn was this building , I'm not sure what it was originally used for in the early years , but I remember Granddaddy kept the peafowl in the building on the right side at night. This building also had a shed built off to the side , it was used for storage. Most of the garages/sheds had small wooden nail keg/barrels attached to the inside wall , filled with straw that were nesting boxes for the hens , they were placed here and there around the farm. The old chicken coop was located behind this building but has been torn down.

This little cabin was located behind the original chicken coop and was used as Grandma's animal hospital , Grandma housed sick or hurt chickens there while she nursed them back to health. Sometimes it housed a hen and her bitties to keep them safe.

I didn't get pictures of the corn crib , garage/shed , smokehouse , the stalls at the back of the barn or the pond , because my batteries went dead. I hope to go back soon and take more pictures.

Hope you enjoyed seeing my Grandparents farm , it was a wonderful walk down memory lane for me.

~ Blessings to All ~

JoyceAnn

Farmerette in the Making .........................

Little Missy , my granddaughter loves helping out around the farmette , she never tires from feeding the chickens , goats or collecting eggs. I think she's definitely a " Farmerette " in the making.

~ Farm Blessings ~

JoyceAnn