Harvesting late-season, frost-sweetened crops is such a benefit to growing into the fall in cold climates. It also makes the most of the same garden space as it allows a grower to add another succession of crops to the garden. Season extension increases total harvests from the same square footage.
So many of our favorite fall crops (kale, cabbages, Brussel sprouts, Swiss chard, parsnips, beets, turnips, carrots, celeriac, rutabagas and radishes) taste sweeter after a frost. This is because these veggies are able to turn starches in their cells into a botanical “anti-freeze” to keep themselves from dying when temps dip. This chemical change, their “anti-freeze,” turns into sucrose—aka sugar.
To keep harvesting deeper into fall and possibly even winter—plus benefit from the frost-induced increase in natural sugars—try covering these crops with a low tunnel. Or if you plan far enough ahead you can even grow them in a cold frame.
Choose Your Cover
The basic idea is that, by covering a plant, you keep the soil’s warmth intact and let that radiate up into the air around the plants. The sun also warms the air trapped inside the tunnel. You can gain critical degrees under cover depending on sunlight, soil and height of the tunnel.
The thickness of the covering also makes a difference in heat retention. Anything less than 2-millimeter-thick plastic isn’t worth the bother as it just won’t hold in the heat and tends to tear easily.
I suggest 4- to 6-millimeter plastic for covering low tunnels.
Low Tunnels
Low tunnels are so easy to pop up and move around to follow your crop rotations. Basically, you just pound in 18- to 24-inch lengths of rebar at the corners (and along the edges if the span is longer than 4 inches). Then simply slide some 1/2-inch PVC over the rebar. Repeat this on the other side to make an arch over the bed you want to cover.
Next, add a stick of PVC the length of the bed (perpendicular to the arches) to add strength to the structure. Securing with zip ties makes this step super easy. Cover in plastic, ensuring you have enough to make contact with the soil all the way around. You can use a longer piece of rebar (or rocks, lumber, etc.) to weigh down the edges.
Secure the plastic to the PVC with clips or clamps.
You’ll want to monitor the temperatures inside low tunnels often, especially on sunny days when air temperatures can rise quickly (even when outside temperatures stay in the 30s).
Cloches
If you want to protect an individual plant, consider a simple “cloche.” This is a fancy word that describes anything that will hold in the heat.
I’ve used 5-gallon buckets and clear plastic bins to protect salad greens and cabbages when we got a quick dip into the low 20s. Being able to cover plants for a day or two lets me keep them alive in the ground, thus holding onto nutrients longer.
Cold Frames
Cold frames are structures, typically somewhat permanent, that insulate a garden bed. They can be constructed of lumber, logs, concrete blocks or straw bales and covered with a piece of Plexiglass or tempered glass. You’ll just want to make sure the angle of your cold frame’s sash slants between 25 to 55 degrees and faces south.
Season Extension Tips
Set up low tunnels before the first frost of the season.
You can make the most of dwindling sunlight from the south with an east-to-west orientation.
Adding black compost or soil to the bed helps increase the soil temperatures more than light-colored straw or leaves.
Get both soil and air thermometers to help keep temperatures moderated.
We’re willing to go out on a limb and suggest there isn’t a piece of dry land on this planet of ours that chickens don’t peck and scratch. From Alaska to Sri Lanka and most everywhere in between, gallus domesticus is at home.A flashy early form of chicken—gallus lafayettii or jungle fowl—strutted out of the Southeast Asian jungle thousands of years ago and quickly made its way (with our help, of course) around the world.It’s no surprise then, that egg recipes feature in just about every cuisine of the world.
Eggs are an endlessly versatile, perfect food that comes in its own package, with a delicious but accommodatingly neutral flavor that allows the cook to pair them up with all sorts of other ingredients. And their composition of fat and protein allows for myriad cooking techniques.
Here are seven recipes for delicious egg dishes from India, France, Columbia, Finland, Japan, Spain and China.
Healthy-ish Curried Deviled Eggs (India)
Instead of lashings of mayo, this recipe (pictured above) calls for yogurt and the fresh, exciting flavors of tropical aromatics and spices. Any leftover filling can be kept in the fridge for later use as a sandwich filling, dip or to top a simple green salad.
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely diced (optional)
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper or chili flakes (optional)
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin or garam masala
1/2 teaspoon ground fenugreek seeds (optional)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup plain, whole-fat yogurt
6 eggs, hardboiled, cooled to room temperature and peeled
Preparation
Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat for about 1 minute. Add cumin seeds, and allow to sizzle for 30 seconds or until the seeds are dark brown but not black. Add onion and jalapeño (if using), and sauté for 4 minutes or until light golden. Add garlic, and sauté for another 2 to 3 minutes or until lightly golden.
Stir in tomato, salt, cayenne (if using), ground cumin or garam masala, fenugreek seeds (if using) and black pepper. Sauté for 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
Place yogurt in a small bowl to temper it. To prevent curdling, spoon 1 tablespoon of the hot onion mixture into the yogurt. Add another tablespoon, stir well, then pour the tempered yogurt into the skillet with the onion and tomato. Cook for 3 minutes over low heat, stirring continuously, then remove from the heat.
Cut eggs in half lengthwise and carefully scoop the yolks into a medium bowl. Place whites on a devilled egg tray or lettuce-lined plate so they don’t slide around. Mash yolks with a fork until smooth.
Add the warm onion and tomato mixture to yolks and mix well. Using a teaspoon, stuff egg white halves with the filling. Garnish with a sprinkling of cayenne or more finely diced jalapeño.
Serve warm or chilled.
Huevos Rotos (Spain)
Signe Langford
What is it about recipes that combine egg with potato? The bland starchiness of potato is the perfect backdrop for rich, buttery eggs. This recipe is flexible, and any cut or type of potato will do: fries, round slices, wedges, halved fingerlings or baby. We’ve added spicy chorizo, but it can be left out for a vegetarian version.
“Roto” means “broken” in Spanish, so remember to break the egg yolks right before serving to let the yolks run into the potatoes.
Tip: Always crack the eggs one at a time into a small bowl, then transfer to the skillet. That way, if one is bad or a little bloody, it won’t ruin the whole recipe!
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients
1⁄3 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed
1/2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon chili pepper flakes
1 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, plus a pinch more for finishing
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup water, plus more if needed
4 cups potatoes, cut into roughly 1-inch pieces
1 red onion, finely chopped
1 chorizo or other sausage, coarsely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
4 eggs
Preparation
Into large skillet over medium heat, combine the olive oil, smoked paprika, chili pepper flakes, salt, black pepper and water. Add the potatoes, stir, spread out as evenly as possible and bring to a boil. Cover and cook until potatoes are tender when poked with a fork—about 10 minutes.
Reduce heat to low. Remove cover, and if too dry or sticking, add a drop more oil and water and scrape to loosen. Add onion, chorizo, garlic and parsley, combine and spread out. Replace lid and cook until onions are soft—about 15 to 20 minutes. Check on the potatoes again. If sticking, add more oil, stir in, then make four little bowls in the potatoes and add an egg into each.
Sprinkle the top of each egg with a pinch more salt and pepper. Cover again and continue to cook over medium-low heat until the whites are set and the yolks are still runny—about 3 to 4 minutes. Bring the skillet to the table and poke each yolk to let it run free into the potatoes. A final sprinkling of parsley is nice.
Herbed Finnish Egg Butter (Finland)
Tristan Peirce
This rich dish of still-warm hard-cooked eggs mashed with indulgent amounts of butter, fresh dill and chives is a Finnish tradition. Spread it on dark rye or rye crisps as is, or with a few bits of smoked fish or radish sprouts on top.
One of the more versatile egg recipes, you can make this dish rustic or superfine and sophisticated. For a more homespun spread, simply mash as instructed, but for a delicate smoothness, blend the eggs, butter, salt and pepper in a food processor until creamy, then stir in the herbs.
Yield: 3 cups
Ingredients
8 eggs, at room temperature
1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon room-temperature butter;
cut into small chunks
1/4 teaspoon sea salt, or more to taste
1/4 teaspoon pepper, or more to taste
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh chives
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh dill; reserve a sprig to garnish
Preparation
Cover eggs with cold water, and bring to a gentle boil over medium heat. Boil for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat, and set aside in the pot with the hot water, until cool enough to handle. Peel eggs and set aside.
Into a large bowl, add butter, salt and pepper, and still-warm peeled eggs.
Using a pastry knife, potato masher or fork, mash butter and eggs together. The warmth of the eggs will soften the butter and let it blend beautifully. Stir in the chives. Taste, then adjust with salt and pepper.
Serve warm, or keep covered and chill before serving. Garnish with a sprig of dill or more chives.
Egg Yolk Won Ton Soup (China)
Donna Griffith
This is a great soup in so many ways: It’s cozy comfort for the common cold, it’s easy but really pretty, and it’s a great way to use those first little eggs from a flock of young hens. Peewee yolks are the perfect size for store-bought wonton wrappers.
Yield: 2 servings
Ingredients
3 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1 teaspoon soy sauce
2 teaspoon unseasoned rice wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper, or more to taste
2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and very finely
julienned or minced
2 green onions, trimmed and finely sliced, white and green parts separated
1/4 cup chopped button mushrooms or whole enoki,
or torn oyster mushrooms
a few sprigs fresh coriander, finely minced, plus extra for garnish (optional)
6 small egg yolks, each in a separate dish
12 wonton wrappers
6 whole coriander leaves (optional)
1 teaspoon sriracha or another hot sauce, or to taste
1 cup shredded napa cabbage leaves
1/4 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
Preparation
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, add the broth, soy sauce, vinegar, pepper, ginger, white parts of the green onion, mushrooms, and coriander (if using). Bring to a simmer and reduce heat to low, just to keep the broth hot. Cover.
Set up a production line for the wontons with the open package of wonton wrappers, a parchment paper-covered plate, and a little dish of water for dipping your finger into when gluing the wonton wrappers shut.
Working with one wonton at a time, use your finger to wipe a bit of water around all four edges of the wrapper. Don’t miss any or it won’t seal and will fall apart in the soup.
Place one coriander leaf (if using) in the center of the wonton wrapper, then slide a yolk gently onto the leaf in the center of the wonton wrapper. Onto the yolk, squeeze a tiny drop of sriracha or another favorite Asian chili or hot sauce, then lay another won ton wrapper on top and press the edges together. Make sure there are no gaps where the broth can seep in.
Repeat these steps with all 6 yolks, then set aside on the parchment-covered plate until ready to add to the soup, which should be immediately. If not, cover with plastic wrap until ready.
Increase heat under the soup pot to medium, and bring back up to a simmer. Add cabbage and green parts of the green onion; stir. Add the wontons while the soup is still gently swirling.
The wontons will sink, so try to keep them from sticking to the bottom by gently moving them in the soup. Cook for about 2 minutes. Add the sesame oil, garnish with more fresh coriander (if desired) and serve.
Changua (Columbia)
Donna Griffith
Lore has it this soup is cooked up by doting wives and mothers when their kids—or husbands—have had a little too much fun the night before, and we can see why. All that fatty, milky goodness is soothing to an overworked tummy.
Some folks just can’t abide the flavor of cilantro. If that’s the case for you, use flat leaf (Italian) parsley instead, and serve with a loaf of crusty bread for dipping.
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients
2 teaspoons butter or olive oil, or 1 teaspoon of each
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 1/2 to 2 cups diced potato
4 finely chopped green onions, divided
2 cups chicken broth
3 cups whole milk (Do not use low-fat milk or the soup will curdle.)
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro, plus more for garnish
1/4 teaspoon sea salt, or more to taste
1/4 teaspoon black pepper,
or more to taste
4 eggs
Preparation
Into a large saucepan over medium heat, add the butter and/or oil, garlic, potatoes and about 3 of the chopped green onions. Stir and cook for about 5 minutes.
Add the stock first, then the milk, and bring up to a very gentle boil. If you boil too aggressively, the soup will curdle, so watch the heat and reduce as needed. Simmer gently until a potato piece tested with a fork comes out almost tender, not quite done.
Add salt, pepper and cilantro. Stir, then add the eggs to poach for about 3 minutes or until the yolks are done to your liking.
Sprinkle with more cilantro and the remaining chopped green onions, and bring the pot to the table with a ladle for dishing it up.
Sweet Jam Omelet (France)
Donna Griffith
Somewhere between an omelet and a soufflé, omelette soufflée à la confiture, en Francais, is sweet and light, and only requires a bit more effort than any other omelet. Use any jam, preserve, fruit spread or fruit purée you like, and enjoy this any time of day, as the main course or dessert.
Yield: 2 servings
Ingredients
1/4 cup jelly, jam, or fruit spread
1⁄3 cup mascarpone, at room temperature
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
3 eggs, separated
2 tablespoons super-fine vanilla sugar, divided pinch fine sea salt
2 tablespoons butter, divided
2 teaspoons icing sugar for garnish (optional)
Preparation
In a medium bowl, add the jam, mascarpone and lemon juice. Stir well to fully combine. Set aside.
Place egg yolks and 1 tablespoon of the vanilla sugar in a medium bowl and whisk until pale, creamy and beginning to thicken. Set aside.
Place egg whites in a large bowl that has been wiped out with a drop of lemon juice. Add the remaining tablespoon of vanilla sugar and a pinch of salt, and using electric beaters or a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, beat the whites until stiff peaks form.
Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the whites into the yolks until well combined, being careful not to collapse the whites too much.
Place a 10- to 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Nonstick or cast iron work best. Add 1 tablespoon of the butter, melt and swirl around the skillet. Pour in the egg mixture and spread out to the edges, patting it down a bit. Cook for about 2 to 3 minutes, or until the eggs look just set. Do not let the omelet brown!
Using either an offset spatula or egg flipper, slide around the edges and underneath to make sure there are no stuck bits.
When sure it’s loose, set a large plate on top of the skillet and flip. The omelet should drop onto the plate. Wait a second and listen for the soft “plunk.”
Return skillet to the heat and add the remaining butter. Melt and swirl the butter, then slip the omelet back into the skillet. Continue to cook for about 2 to 3 minutes, or until the egg looks just set.
Reduce heat to low, and while the second side is cooking, spoon the jam-mascarpone filling over one half of the omelet. Tip the skillet, and with the help of a spatula, slip the omelet onto a serving platter, then fold the omelet in half. It won’t be perfect. It shouldn’t be perfect—the filling should be peeking out suggestively! Or, skip this last, somewhat stressful step and eat it right out of the pan, tête-à-tête style.
Dust with icing sugar if desired and serve immediately.
Omurice (Japan/South Korea)
Signe Langford
Its origins may be Japanese, but this modern dish is also popular in South Korean cuisine. Savory, salty, and a little sweet, it’s the sort of meal—breakfast, lunch or dinner—the kids will love. We’ve used ham (which can be omitted for a vegetarian version), but any leftover cooked meat will do.
Yield: 1 adult serving or 2 kid servings
Ingredients
for the filling
3 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil; divided
2 green onions, finely chopped; a few pieces reserved for garnishing
1 shallot, finely diced
1 small carrot finely diced
6 button mushrooms, finely diced
1/2 cup diced ham
1 cup cooked rice; day-old is best
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons ketchup
for the omelet
3 eggs
1 tablespoon whole milk
Preparation
Into a large skillet over medium heat, add 2 tablespoons of the oil, green onion, shallot, carrot, mushroom. Cook, stirring often until just becoming fragrant—about 3 minutes—then add ham and cook for another 3 minutes.
Reduce heat to low, add rice, soy sauce, ketchup and stir to combine and evenly coat the rice. Transfer rice mixture to a small bowl and press it down into the mold. Set aside.
In a small bowl, whisk eggs and milk.
Into a nonstick or cast iron skillet over medium heat, add remaining oil and egg mixture. Gently pull eggs into the center of the pan as they congeal. Stop when almost cooked—it should still be very wet on top—then remove from heat and set aside.
To serve, place a dinner plate over the rice bowl and flip. Carefully remove the bowl, leaving a nice round mound of rice. Transfer the omelet from the skillet to drape over the rice mound, wet egg side down.
Finish with a drizzle of ketchup, a few bits of green onion, perhaps a pinch of toasted sesame seeds, or even a squeeze of mayo.
We hope you enjoy these egg recipes from across the globe!
This article originally appeared in the September/October 2023 issue of Chickens magazine.
Whether we want to accept it or not, the growing season is coming to an end for many of us. I’ll be pulling out half of my gardens this weekend and putting them to bed.The possibility of frost is highly likely within the next few weeks. In our household, this means we harvest all of our green tomatoes.
I love fermented green tomato salsa, as well as the water bath canned version (both of which are in my cookbook Can It & Ferment It). We are also huge fans of fried green tomatoes and make several batches throughout the month of October. But one recipe that my grandpa made long before I was even a thought, is spicy green tomato pickles. This is a refrigerator pickle, so it doesn’t require any boiling water bath canning or fermenting.
We snack on these spicy tomatoes straight from the jar but as all my pickle recipes, they also make a great Bloody Mary garnish or unique pickle for an appetizer platter.
Yield: 1 quart jar
Ingredients
Main
3.5 cups green tomatoes, cut into bite-sized chunks
4 cloves garlic, halved
2 jalapeño peppers, halved (or spicier peppers if you prefer)
Brine
1.5 cups water
1.5 cups 5% white distilled vinegar
2 tsp. canning salt
Directions
Wash tomatoes, remove any flawed or bruised areas and stems.
Prepare tomatoes, garlic and hot peppers, and transfer them to a quart jar, until there is 1 inch of headspace (room from the tomatoes to the rim of the jar).
Heat the brine ingredients to a simmer and stir until the salt is dissolved. Remove from heat.
Carefully ladle the warm brine over the tomatoes until they are submerged completely.
Wipe the rim of the jar clean with a dampened cloth to remove any spillage. Place the canning jar lid on the jar and tightly screw on the ring. Allow the jar to cool to room temperature and transfer to the refrigerator.
Allow the tomatoes to pickle for at least one week before tasting. The longer the tomatoes pickle, the more flavor they will have.
Notes
Be sure to thoroughly clean your space and supplies before pickling (as when doing any food preservation). Wash jars and lids with hot, soapy water.
My grandpa traditionally made these tomatoes really spicy and that’s how I tend to enjoy them to this day. Add any type and as many spicy peppers as you’d like.
If using cherry tomatoes, I recommend slicing them in half before pickling.
Add in whole peppercorns, dill, mustard seeds or other spices to change the flavor of your green tomato pickles.
This recipe has been shared from Stephanie Thurow’s, WECK Small-Batch Preserving cookbook, with permission from Skyhorse Publishing, Inc.
The following is an excerpt from Jane Cooper’s new book, The Lost Flock(Chelsea Green Publishing September 2023) and is printed with permission from the publisher. In this excerpt, Cooper recounts how she began keeping Boreray sheep at her home in Orkney.
courtesy of Chelsea Green Publishing
What is it about a place that speaks to us so powerfully? I know something of that from my response to first visiting Orkney, which went so far beyond curiosity and interest. It is the feeling I have, every time I look at the view down the hill from the house, every time I see the farm in the distance as I drive up the hill towards it, that I am inexplicably rooted here in Orkney.
My little flock expanded in November 2013 when Bob told me about a ram lamb for sale from a Boreray flock in the Highlands that had started with sheep from Bob. I got in touch with the owner and the young ram came with two companions. Older males that had been castrated as lambs, known locally as ‘wedders’ rather than the more commonly used ‘wethers’. Having been left out of the fun of helping to name my first five lambs, my adult children decided they would name my new ram lamb. I told them that the name had to begin with B, and ideally it should reflect his future as a breeding ram. This is where I warn everyone not to give such wide freedom to their adult children. The name they presented to me was Bollocks. Yes, they were expecting me to go out in my fields, possibly within earshot of my neighbours, and shout, ‘Bollocks’. However, when I first saw this young ram, packed full of attitude, the name did actually seem a good fit for him, and I do love my children. So, Bollocks he was, and he quickly made it clear to Boris that he was ‘top ram’.
Autumn 2014 was exciting for seeing the first female Borerays join the flock. Two groups, both from small flocks in the Highlands that had got all their sheep originally from Bob and Ann. There were two ewes, two gimmers (one-year-old females that hadn’t had a lamb yet), a much older ewe, Millie, that had been bred by Bob, seven ewe lambs and a young ram I called Bede. Choosing a Northumbrian saint’s name was my response to the children calling my second ram Bollocks!
I also paid another trip to Bob and Ann and collected a beautiful ram lamb, Gerald, from a different line to Boris, and a couple more wether lambs. For the first time, I could start breeding Borerays. We decided, having seen how late our spring grass had been to get going compared to neighbors down the hill, to aim for lambs being born in May. Counting back the 147 days of an average sheep pregnancy, we separated the ewes and gimmers from the lambs and put them in a separate field. I decided that Bede was to be the lucky ram that year and I wanted to use raddle so I could tell when he’d tupped a ewe during the 36 hours or so when she was on heat and ready to accept a mate. Raddle is a colored powder you mix with cooking oil to make a thick paste, which you put on the ram’s chest between his front legs. As he mounts the ewe some of this paste is transferred to her rear back. Now, in my ignorance, I rather overdid the raddle on Bede. And with him being a young ram that had never tupped a ewe before, his enthusiasm was greater than his experience. The first female to come into season, Beryl, was a gimmer, so she was also more enthusiastic than experienced. It took Bede a few attempts to assume the correct mating position at the rear end of the ewe. The abundance of bright yellow paste meant he ended up with a completely yellow front end and Beryl was yellow from head to tail.
After tupping comes lambing, and I took the one-day workshop on lambing at Northvet. I came away knowing what equipment I needed to have in case any ewes needed assistance and with a very useful booklet giving the normal timings for the different stages of labor and lambing. What I didn’t know at the time was that none of my sheep had read the booklet!
May arrived and Paul disappeared south for a few days for a work-related meeting he had to attend. I was on my own. Beryl’s possible due date came and went. On May 13 during the morning, I noticed that Hilary looked preoccupied. She wasn’t grazing. There was a lot of pacing around the small lambing field, then standing still gazing into the distance. I was sure things were stirring. Unfortunately, so was the weather. As the darkness of evening came, so did strong winds and lashing rain, forecast to last all night. I couldn’t catch Hilary on my own, nor would she be comfortable if I kept going out to try and check her with a torch. The lambing booklet was consulted for the umpteenth time. If Hilary had the lamb during the night, it would be fine if it suckled well within the first six hours. So, I worked out that if I allowed myself one check on her at around 1 a.m., I’d be able to see any newborn lamb(s) before it was 6 hours old.
Finally, at last, 1 a.m. came and I allowed myself to venture out with a strong torch. In the dark, sheep eyes glow in torchlight. I spotted all the sheep but Hilary well tucked up in the shelter of long rushes. Going round the corner of the field where there was nothing to mitigate the easterly wind blasting up the hill, I saw the glow of four eyes, one pair belonging to a tiny lamb standing strongly next to Hilary, both with their backs to the wind. I couldn’t take a photograph in those conditions, but the image of the new mother and her first lamb standing defiantly in the storm remains clearly with me even now seven years later.
A difficult decision, though. Should I leave them for four or five more hours out there in the storm until the delayed daylight of bad weather? Hilary, perhaps because she was inexperienced, had picked one of the least sheltered places to have her first lamb. We did have a couple of little shelters in the field that we thought would give the ewes more choice of sheltered spots for them and their lambs, one not too far from Hilary and the lamb. With too many options going through my mind, no experience to guide me and not having the self-confidence to completely trust Bob’s advice that the ewes and lambs would be fine and would seek shelter if needed, I quickly decided to pick up the lamb by the front legs and put it in the shelter. I hoped Hilary would follow so they would both be out of the weather, but even if she didn’t, the lamb would be fine out of the driving cold rain and I could sort things out in the morning. I took just seconds to move the lamb, not touching the body to avoid any of my scent going on it, then I moved as far away as possible while still being able to just make out Hilary in the faint light of the torch that I was careful to point away from her. With gut-churning relief, after fearing I’d made the wrong choice and totally messed things up, I saw her walking towards the shelter and her lamb. I left them in peace and went back into the house to dry off and go back to bed.
The storm passed quicker than forecast and by 5 a.m. it was dry and light. I could see Hilary and her lamb from the bedroom window, both looking fine. I got a container with a few beet nuts as a treat for Hilary and to enable me to get as close as possible to her and her new lamb. She tucked in enthusiastically and I was rewarded with the sight of the lamb squatting to pee—it was a female. Many photos later and I left them in peace as the weather improved still further and the sun emerged. The first ever Boreray lamb born in Orkney. I named her Dorah.
Jane Cooper grew up in North Warwickshire and learned to knit when she was very young. In 2010, Jane met the late Sue Blacker of the Natural Fibre Company, who wanted to get British Wool into the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, so Woolsack was born, which they ran together. In 2013 Jane and her husband, Paul, moved to Orkney and got their first Boreray sheep and in 2017, Jane discovered that she was the custodian of the last remnants of the ‘Lost Flock’ of Boreray sheep. To secure the long-term future of the Orkney Boreray sheep breed, Jane established flocks with more (younger!) Orkney crofters and farmers, to develop products and markets and make them a profitable enterprise for everyone involved. In September 2021 Orkney Boreray mutton became Scotland’s second Slow Food International Presidium. There are now eight flocks of Boreray sheep in Orkney.
“I got interested in photographing roosters because they are so colorful and spectacular and showy,” says Valerie Shaff, a photographer with a revered reputation for creating vivid eye-catching poultry images.
“The roosters led to the chickens because so many people I now know keep chickens. And you develop an eye for these things,” continues Shaff, whose poultry portraits can also be enjoyed via a collection of home pillows. “I’d see a great looking chicken and keep asking people if I could photograph their chickens!”
Calling on Shaff’s expertise and experience, we spoke to her about five ways you can get better results when photographing chickens.
1. Control the Situation
Whether shooting in a studio setting or in someone’s barn, Shaff says that setting up the situation is key.
“To get the shot you want is not about running after the animal—you really have to control the situation, especially with animals that are skittish, like chickens.”
In practice, this can mean selecting an uncluttered location for the photos, aiming to shoot when the light is most beneficial and taking into account the temperament of your chickens.
2. Use Feed to Capture Poses
Once Shaff has set up the environment for a photo shoot, she likes to call on the help of a second pair of hands to assist with the photography process.
“I’m not gonna try to herd chickens and look after them,” says Shaff. “They need to be held. Another person, which is usually the owner of the chickens, feeds them through. Chickens don’t stand still for long, and they’re not as responsive as other animals are to sounds, like dogs, or like cats with a feather on a fishing rod. So to get them where you want the lighting is, put some feed down. Quite predictably, they start eating!”
3. Be Patient & Be Quick
Once the feed is presented, Shaff says that it’s important to show a lot of patience and to act quickly.
“You might be able to get a great photo while they’re coming into frame or towards the feed. Or they might look up after you flash a couple of times,” she explains. “But you have to be very quick to capture those moments. So create as much control as you can with the circumstances.”
4. Photograph The Whole Chicken
Shaff likes to use a small aperture when photographing chickens. “This is so they will be sharply in focus,” she explains. “Chickens are too small an animal to try and get the face in focus with the tail feathers soft.”
Also, don’t forget to include the feet, which Shaff says “have remarkable details.”
5. Seek Out Flat Lighting
When photographing chickens, Shaff prefers to use flat lighting. “From my standpoint, I find that bright sunlight breaks up the picture plane, because it’s too contrasty,” she says. “I like to be able to see things without them being affected with such hard light where you get so many dark shadows. For example, I like to see all of the details of the plumage of the birds.”
Molting season is right around the corner. If your coop isn’t full of flying feathers yet, you can be sure it probably will be soon. But there’s no reason to worry—molting is a completely natural process for poultry. The editors of Chickens rounded up a handful of facts and tips to help you better understand molting, as well as help your chicken flock through this eggless season of feather loss.
Some chicken breeds, such as Silkies, may undergo a less noticeable“mini molt” throughout the yearin which they shed and regrowa few feathers at a time.
This feather lossphenomenon starts tohappen at around18 months of age andthen occurs annually.
The process ofmolting requires a lot of energyfrom the chicken,which is why they may appear more tired or lethargic than usual.
Molting usually lastsanywhere from two to four months, depending on the chicken breed and individual bird.
During molting, hens typically stop laying eggs or may laysignificantly fewer eggs.
Chickens may also lose weight during molting due to the energy demands of feather regrowth.
Molting chickens require a higher protein diet to support feather regrowth, which can be provided through supplements or high protein feed.
Molting chickens may be more susceptible to stress, illness and predators due to their weakened state.
Molting typically occurs in the fall or early winter,but it can also happen in the spring or summer.
This article originally appeared in the September/October 2023 issue of Chickens magazine.
Oct. 8 is International Off-Road Day, a day hobby farmers are definitely entitled to celebrate. Going off-road with an ATV or UTV is a regular occurrence for many farmers, who use sturdy off-road vehicles for a wide variety of tasks from fieldwork to harvesting firewood.
If you don’t yet have an off-road vehicle on your farm (or if you want to expand the usefulness of the one you have), read on. In celebration of International Off-Road Day, we’ve compiled a roundup of helpful articles from around HobbyFarms.com, including shopping tips, maintenance advice and ideas for projects the machines are well-suited to tackle.
Even if you have a tractor, an off-road vehicle can still be the preferable tool for many smaller farming jobs. Here are 10 projects they’re ready to take on.
Gas and diesel off-road vehicles are ideal for heavy-duty projects where power is paramount. But electric machines offer benefits (including reduced noise and maintenance) for lighter-duty work.
Maintenance is so important, we’ve had multiple authors tackle the topic. From cables and tires to spark plugs and filters, this article covers a bunch of areas that need your attention.
Planning to use your off-road vehicle in winter, perhaps for plowing snow? These five accessories will help your machine perform to its best in winter weather.
Last month we discussed health concerns in overweight equines. Mobility and metabolic issues abounded. This month, we’ll learn that our ruminant species have similar problems as they pack on the pounds and cattle grow overweight.
Feeding cattle for production, be it weight gain for slaughter or to attain a good body condition for calving and milking, is a tricky operation. This explains why some folks go as far as getting doctoral degrees in ruminant nutrition. Things can get very complicated very quickly. But take heart. You’ve likely already got the basics covered.
Let’s focus today on what happens when there’s too much of a good thing, or, when is a fattened steer too fat?
Frame Size
Cattle with smaller frame sizes tend to have more health issues at heavier weights, simply due to mechanics. Structurally, their legs and feet aren’t robust enough to hold a frame of excessive weight. This can impact mobility to the point of causing a welfare concern.
Larger framed breeds such as Simmental or Charolais are genetically adapted to handle heavier body weights. But take care with smaller frame lineages, especially some of the heritage breeds. These “specialty” breeds lack the sturdy frames to handle heavier body weights.
Lameness/Foot Issues
While researchers have demonstrated the ease in which equine laminitis can be caused simply by feeding excess quantities of carbohydrates, the same methods have not been successful in inducing bovine laminitis. So while cattle are not quite as pre-disposed to laminitis (also called founder) as horses are, they can suffer from foot pain linked to excessive body weight.
A heavy frame exacerbates any minor conformation issue or pathology in the foot. Dietary disturbances can result in laminitic lesions such as sole ulcers and hemorrhages.
Heat Stress
Heavier and overweight cattle are more inefficient at heat dispersion in warmer temperatures compared to their thinner cohorts. When humidity rises, this can become a serious enough issue to cause heat stress in these animals.
Decreased feed intake, higher heart rates and agitation are some early signs of heat stress in cattle. In the summer months, farmers should consider body weights when evaluating their herd management in the heat.
Metabolic Issues
Over-conditioned dairy cows are at risk for relatively common metabolic challenges, including fatty liver and ketosis. Being overweight in late gestation alters these animals’ metabolic pathways such that, at time of calving and subsequent sudden switch to dramatic milk production, their bodies shunt fat stores to the liver. This confuses the metabolic pathways that require quick energy for milk production demands. This leads to a production of ketones and further fat deposits in the liver, which then typically makes the animal feel poorly.
She will then stop eating, which makes the situation worse and a negative feedback loop worsens.
The best way to stay ahead of these issues is to monitor the body condition scores of your animals on a regular basis, or at least once a season. If your herd is large enough, consider subdividing based on body condition scores. This can help you tailor feeding to the specific needs of your animals and prevent the complications that excessive body weight can wreak in cattle.
A living laboratory is an important tool for edible ecological education. Not only can it demonstrate good food-plant design, possibilities for diversified landscape management and site-suitable plants for your region, a living laboratory can also provide unique education opportunities to suit the sites where they are installed.
What Is an Edible Living Laboratory?
Edible living laboratories are basically well-organized plantings using a diversity of edible plants arranged into guilds and focusing on education of key topics. They could be planted using native edible plants or orchard-type varieties, like pears. They should employ anecosystem design with multiple layers of plants (herbs, bushes, trees, etc.). And they should be linear or in plots and fit into the landscape around them seamlessly to make mowing and other larger landscape maintenance possible.
The topics for education can include important Why? information like, “Why is edible biodiversity important?” and What? information such as, “What is an edible ecosystem?” But of upmost importance should be Interactive information like “How to plant your own edible landscape!”
They often include specialized designs that suit the goals of the stewardship group (those responsible for its maintenance). Examples include “Management of Diversity on Campus for Climate Change Mitigation” or “Native Prairie Restoration for Pollinator Habitat and Medicinal Tea Plants.”
No matter how you slice it, the Edible Living Laboratories that I develop have one overarching goal: catalyzing people in communities to plant more landscape by showcasing great plants, designed for success, that work well in an area!
Who Should Include These in the Landscaping?
Many sites are suited for these types of landscapes and many groups (or stewards) would benefit from their installation in landscapes.
This can include businesses that want to create a beautiful entrance with an ethical solution to land management and schools that want to create education opportunities and custom outdoor education curriculum. They also work great for government buildings that need climate-friendly landscaping and homes that feature low-work, high-yielding landscaping.
Key Ingredients for a Great Edible Living Laboratory
The details of a great living laboratory may require a more fine-tuned design. But the basic ingredients (as I see them) are as follows.
A piece of land, 5 feet by 5 feet, 5 feet by 5 feet or larger linear areas (like 15 feet by 75 feet) or large full plots (like 50 feet by 100 feet)
Proper soil improvement with raising of the land to improve soil structure in a raised bed (about 6 to 12 inches), loosening of soil, adding compost and improving with micronutrients
An arrangement of edible and useful plants to form multiple guilds (three or more plants) that fulfill the layers of native ecosystems as mimicry (herbs, ground covers, bushes, trees).
All plants are site-suitable to the environment: climate, soil, sun exposure, etc.
At least three to six varieties for every 25 to 75 square foot
Metal plant name tags for each plant showing name, Latin nomenclature, what part of the plant is edible or useful and when it is ready
ID tags with a number linked to a spreadsheet for identification, notes and record keeping.
Information signage teaching key topics—it’s best to have quality signs that will last a long time.
Proper support for trees and rodent guards for trees
Proper planting
Mulch (weed-free)
Selective weeding in first two years
Watering in first two years when needed
Core steward or stewardship group to take care of site
Interaction with community through workshops, studies, casual bypassing and enjoyment
Long-term conservation of genetic diversity for education, use for more sites and posterity
If you are interested in the development of a Living Laboratory, feel free to reach out to me at www.zachloeks.com.
Over the decades, my husband Jae and I have raised approximately two dozen breeds and varieties of chickens. We’ve raised bantams and large fowl, show birds and layers, heritage birds and hybrids. Most of the breeds we raised were carefully chosen after a great deal of research: online, in reference books, and by speaking to other poultry farmers. Sometimes, however, acquiring a new breed was an instantaneous event. We either saw a breed at a show and just had to have it or we were called by our local farm-supply store to rescue chicks who were faring poorly.
This final quartet of breeds explores unexpected additions that made their way into our flocks.
Rhode Island Red
supergroovie74/Adobe Stock
A trio of two-week-old Rhode Island Red (RIR) chicks joined our farm after I received a call from our farm-supply store. The three babies were the last peeps from that particular hatchery shipment, and the newer arrivals were physically attacking these older hatchlings.
The poor little things were Blu Koted and miserable when I picked them up. They spent the first day huddled together in the corner of their brooder, not even approaching the feeder or waterer. It took a lot of TLC to get them to finally feel safe enough to start exploring their new home.
By the end of their second week with us, you’d never have known they’d been bullied. Aside from our Orpingtons, I’ve never seen such a genuinely happy breed of birds. The RIRs were cheerfully chatty and actively played with each other. We had to give them little boxes in which they played hide and seek and napped together.
As they grew older, the RIRs retained their good-natured dispositions. They were almost doglike with their affection. The trio eventually proclaimed themselves to be two pullets and a cockerel, which led to a little heartache for me because we did not have room for another rooster.
Fortunately I found a nearby 4-H family seeking a showmanship bird for their daughter. Red Boy (not a very original name, I know) took to the young girl very quickly when she and her parents came to see him. Within minutes, she was cuddling and cooing to him, and Red Boy never really looked back.
As for Lynn and Vanessa, the two RIR pullets, they eagerly merged with our Orpington flock, where they became the “popular girls”—our Orps all wanted to be their friends. Helen and Vanessa became prolific layers, producing four to five light-brown eggs per week. Neither had any health or weather issues, and they both lived to be 7 years old.
A little joy went out of the Orpington flock when these cheerful chickens passed on. I’m not sure why we never got more RIRs, given our very positive experience with them.
Golden Comet
Laura/Adobe Stock
Also known as a Cinnamon Queen or a Red Star, the Golden Comet is a stunning cinnamon-gold chicken and one of the most popular hybrid backyard birds in America. When we first met Goldie, however, she was anything but beautiful.
I had once again gotten a call from our farm-supply store that one of their older chicks needed rescuing. Jae and I grabbed a cardboard box and headed out, only to find this poor baby cowering on top of the stock tank’s waterer, most of her down plucked out by the younger chicks.
Once home, we carefully treated Goldie’s injuries, then set her inside a cozy brooder with a plush bunny for company. After a few days, Goldie made the move from the top of the waterer to the bunny. I experienced a moment of panic when I came across an empty brooder, only to find Goldie snuggled safely under the bunny’s arm.
Goldie’s relationship with her bunny lasted her entire life.
As an older pullet, she also joined our Orpington flock and, while she was sweet and got along with the other birds, there was always some hesitancy, as if she remembered the abuse she sustained in her earliest days. Goldie ended up making two close Orpington friends, with whom she spent her days. At night, she slept in one of the nest boxes, snuggled up with her bunny.
Goldie was one of the best layers we ever had, producing between five and six large brown eggs per week. She never exhibited any tendency towards broodiness and, interestingly, she never laid in the nestbox where her bunny lived. She was always sweet with us, even with my boys when they were preschoolers. If we had not defined ourselves as a heritage farm, I would not have minded having more Golden Comets … as long as the chicks had plenty of room so as not to pick on each other.
Barred Plymouth Rock
Dalton Overlin/Wirestock/Adobe Stock
Like the RIRs and Goldie the Golden Comet, our Barred Plymouth Rocks were rescued from a local feed store, where they were the last Barred Rocks amidst a sea of Wyandotte chicks. Knowing they were with Wyandottes probably spurred us to retrieve this chick quartet swiftly, as we had just sold off our Wyandotte flock the previous year.
The Barred Rock babies were not victimized in the way our other rescues had been. They were not injured or missing any down. Instead, the Wyandotte crowd was preventing the Barred Rocks from accessing the feeder and waterer, and the store only had so many brooders. Home they came!
From the start, the Barred Rocks settled in happily, sleeping chick-carpet style and curiously investigating their brooder. They were very inquisitive birds from the get go, even as adults. If we placed anything—a suet cake, a wedge of cabbage, a block of seeds—in their brooder or coop, the Barred Rocks would be the first ones to approach, even before our rooster. The Orpington hens would always wait for the all-clear from the Barred Rocks before inching closer to whatever the mystery treat might be.
Although they were never bossy, they also weren’t overly social with the other birds, preferring to keep to themselves or hang out with us if we were outside. They laid an average of three to four large brown eggs per week and occasionally went broody, though nowhere to the extent that the Orpingtons, Cochins and Silkies did.
They were adorable chicks, with their creamy head dots and smoky black fluff, and even more lovely as adults, with their trademark black barring. They didn’t live past 4 years old, which might be a reflection on their being hatchery birds versus breeder birds. I’d call them your basic backyard chickens, good for eggs and with a decent disposition.
Serama
Athok Fadhlin/stock.adobe.com
I fell in love with the Serama chicken breed (pictured above) the instant I set eyes on them. It was at a small poultry exhibition in Northern Michigan. I’d made sure my show birds were settled in, then went to explore the rest of the show floor.
The Serama exhibitor—she was the only one—had a table off to one side of the hall, with cages more suited to canaries in size than to chickens. Inside each cage were the tiniest chickens I’d ever seen, each pure perfection.
The Serama roosters had a proud, puffed chest; upright carriage; downward wings; and tiny single combs. The hens displayed glossy eyes, teeny wattles and tidy tails.
When the weekend was done, I went home with a beautiful black and white pair. Orion and Oreo were the first of many Serama chickens lovingly raised and hatched by us.
Purely ornamental, the Serama is the smallest known chicken breed, with adult males typically weighing in at less than a pound and adult females even less.
Because of their size, they are not cold hardy. We built heated brooders in our pole barn, where they cozily passed the cold months. Seramas love being outside, however, so we also built them a chicken tractor within which they could safely enjoy the sunshine, grass and fresh air.
While ideal as exhibition birds, Seramas also make wonderful household pets. They truly love interacting with their humans, will happily spend hours perched on their owner’s shoulder or on the back of a chair or couch, and can be contentedly housed in a parrot cage.
Our Serama chickens always paired up as juveniles and remained mated for life. The hens laid well, averaging approximately four eggs per week—but bear in mind that four Serama eggs equal one large standard chicken egg.
Serama hens will go broody, and it is a delight to watch them set eggs and raise their young, because Seramas are without a doubt the chattiest breed in existence. Hens tend to keep a continual monologue going with their eggs and chicks.
Chicks hatch at about 16 days, five days earlier than other chicken breeds. The juveniles similarly become fully feathered and reach maturity ahead of other breeds. I adored our Serama flock, despite the special allowances necessary because of their size and physique. And although my husband, Jae, deems them “impractical,” Seramas rank in my top six chicken breeds along with Orpingtons, Silkies, Cochins, Ameraucanas and Polish.
