That Writer's Habit

I would like to say life has been pretty busy around here lately as an excuse for my blogging absence, but that wouldn't be the whole truth.

Life has been busy but no more than normal, winter hibernation has also had a hand in things but I guess it is just a case of falling out of the habit. It is hard to come back to the blog after a long gap, strange as surely it would be harder to keep blogging week after week, finding the inspiration to write, but I think the habit of writing is what is most important.

I have been up to blog worthy endeavours lately it is true, I have been ploughing my time into expanding my Etsy store with naturally dyed sock yarn (can't wait to list those), and been posting more about that on Instagram.

We are also getting ready to breed our own meat birds from our established flock rather than buying in hatching eggs this year, we are crossing our Indian Game hens with both our buff orpington and Welsummer cockerels to see which we prefer, and perhaps breeding some cream legbars after that to sell on.

I'm also trying to get through some of my fabric stash making my own clothes, I've got so much filling up the old caravan earmarked for specific projects, and I need the space as I am turning said caravan into a dyeing studio for my work (think vintage style).

These are just a few of the things I've been upto lately amongst others but that's enough to be going on with for today, hopefully I will now be able to get back into that writers habit.

Elderflower Recipe Round-up

Summer is finally in full flow here in Orkney and with that comes the late flowering of our Elder trees which are covered in an abundance of blossom this year.

Now I am on the hunt for ways to use them whilst I can, as the berries never set due to our high winds in September.

So follows my round-up of recipes from around Pinterest to give a try...

These Elderflower Ice Pops from The Greedy Vegan

I love Lemon cake to begin with but adding Elderflowers sound gorgeous,

here is the recipe from Daisy and the Fox

Elderflower and Lime curd from A Recipe For Gluttony

A variation on Turkish Delight from River Cottage

Orange and Elderflower Liqueur from Things We Make

Elderflower Jelly from The Greedy Vegan

And of course My own bloggy offering for Elderflower Cordial :)

Homestead Reality Lessons: Episode 1

I've been recording videos again, this time I'm talking a little about some of the realities of running a smallholding or homestead that you may not have learned from watching river cottage or the Good Life.

Dandelion and Rhubarb Mead Tutorial

I've been busy putting together another video for my youtube channel with this tutorial on how to make Dandelion and Rhubarb Mead, hope you enjoy it :)

Not All Rural Life is Rosy

This week has in part been one of those where as a blogger we gloss over the shittier parts of smallholding which usually only shows the quainter aspects like raising baby chicks and pulling home-grown carrots. 

Now dont get me wrong there has been plenty of the nicer stuff like a light dusting of snow and calm sunny cold winter mornings, but I'm not gonna lie, there is plenty of crap mixed in with it, and I mean that literally.

For instance one of our cockerels doesn't like me so chicken chores have to be done with a shovel in one hand in case he attacks me (never bothers hubby though). We also have a duck separated at the moment as she has problems oiling her own feathers and gets soaked andcold in bad weather, add to that our 2 young Buff Orpington cockerels don't seem to realise she is a duck and keep... well umm... 'pouncing' on her!

To top all this off we have had the drains backing up and a toilet that would not go down, resulting in fishing around in the septic tank, digging up sewage pipes and too much time spent with arms down toilets, wonderful. 

Thankfully we did not need to remove the toilet, I was having an anxiety attack envisioning removing said toilet and ruining the bathroom floor and waste water to clean up everywhere in one of the few finished rooms in the house.

Of course now I can't get the scene out my head from Christmas Vacation with cousin Eddie emptying his chemical toilet into the drains, shouting to all who will listen 

"Shitter full !! "

The Dilemma of Raising Meat

 Today I want to touch very briefly upon the subject of raising meat. I don't plan on going into detail on the subject of raising and producing meat on the smallholding as I know not everyone who reads my blog eats meat and that includes my mother. But currently me and John do eat meat in small quantities, although we have not always done so.

I've had a very personal moral dilemma over eating meat for a long time. We have lived on our small holding for 6 years now, and I have kept chickens for eggs for several years before that in my back garden. The subject of raising our own meat to go with our veg has always been very brief conversations along the lines of....."It would be good to raise our own but I'm not sure if I could dispatch an animal I've raised" and then we would carry on planting carrots.

My dilemma has been that how can I be willing to eat meat someone else has dispatched but not be willing to do it myself? An animal has died to feed me in either situation, but if we raise our own we know how that animal has lived etc.

I'm not saying people must raise their own meat if they wish to eat it, we haven't up until now, but we have the land and ability to do it ourselves. In our situation we have the chance to know our animals are well looked after, been fed well, and had a clean dispatch.

So at the beginning of this year we made a decision to try raising our own meat and laying hens. All our flock at the time were ageing and we were not expecting many eggs this year, so the plan was to increase our laying flock by buying in and incubating hatching eggs in the breeds I would like for eggs, then when large enough any surplus cockerels would either be dispatched for the freezer, or if we truly couldn't do the deed we would sell them on.

The plan has worked out well, we have at least 10 new layers (we are still waiting to sex the youngest when they get a bit bigger) plus new breeding cockerels for future selling of our own hatchlings.

Almost 2 weeks ago we had our first dispatch day which went well for our first go, John was on dispatch and pluck duty and me in the kitchen preparing them for the freezer. We had our first roast last Sunday of the 5 that went in the freezer and I have to say I'm pleased with the result.

The plan next year is to raise hatching eggs of breeds that are specifically meat birds plus breed some of our own pure breeds to sell locally as layers. And yes I did choose breeds this year that lay pretty coloured eggs it's been one of those unimportant but giddy silly homesteading dreams to have baskets of multicoloured eggs on my kitchen table.

The photos above show 3 of our keeper cockerels Laurence the Lavender Araucana in the top photo, and Cornelius the Welsummer cockerel alongside our Cream Legbar who has yet to be named, so if you have any name ideas let me know :) 

Magical Moments of the Egg Kind

There are a number of magical moments when you do any form of self-sufficiency, such as your first laid egg, or the first pan of home-grown new potatoes, perhaps it is the first podded peas or ripe tomato.

Each year brings new magical moments and today was one of those, our first egg laid by a hen we incubated and hatched from an egg herself !!!     Life full circle.

It has been a very bad harvest year on the island, a very damp cool summer with the local barley and hay crops been virtually none existant, its going to have a knock on effect next year for the animals for sure.

Harvests on the plot haven't been very good either. Our onions and broad beans are decent enough but little else.

And meet the sum total of our tomato harvest, not much salad out of that one !!

But onwards and upwards,

we keep on planting and we always harvest something from our little patch of land.

All Change in Chicken Land

It's been all change here in chicken world, the second clutch of chick were moved out of the upstairs brooder into the smallest chook house yesterday afternoon, giving them there first taste of the wild Orkney outdoors.

To hand over the keys to their new abode, the previous residents needed to be upgraded to their new digs, the large movable chook shed, giving us the perfect time to start introducing them to the oldest birds. 

For the next week or so their shed and run are inside the chicken land run, giving everyone a chance to get used to one another, then the fun of integration for the birds we are keeping begins

And at only 9 weeks old, and can barely believe how huge they have already grown!!

Meet the Hatchlings

I've been a bit under the radar recently as a blogger and indeed in real life too. 

My health hasn't been at it's best, plus hospital visits, helping mum to move off the island and general life stuff has meant my writing muse had upped and gone on holiday.

The only exception has been my introduction and subsequent addiction to Instagram where you can find me under @madmadammel, I have also added a widget to my sidebar.

But during the past few weeks one of the exciting developments here at home has been out first brood of baby chicks hatching in the incubator.

The plan this year is to raise our breeding stock, this our first hatchlings include Large Lavender Auracana, Cream Legbar, Welsummer, and the pale yellow one above is one of our own mixed breeds most likely a Rhode Island Red.

At over 4 weeks old now the hatchlings are huge, around the size of pigeons, they will be out in the big wide world before you know it, ready to be joined by a soon to be hatched second brood of chicks.

How to Easily Make Comfrey Ointment

With the Comfrey plants almost reaching tree like proportions, it is well past time for me to be harvesting it. Usually before now I have been harvesting the first cut for making comfrey infusion for the greenhouse but I have been a little lax this year so now I have a huge first harvest instead.

Most of the leaves harvested will be used to make comfrey infusion, which basically involved steeping the leaves in a huge bucket of water to make a horrid smelly liquid which the tomatoes love. But comfrey ointment for this years stock will be made with some of the leaves first.

Comfrey has long been used traditionally as a healing plant, and scientific studies show that the plant contains a small molecule called 'allantion' which repairs cells and decreases inflammation making it excellent for skin wounds.

Making comfrey ointment is really easy and one of the quickest I find to make.

How to Make Comfrey Ointment

Ingredients:

Fresh picked comfrey leaves

Either.... Olive oil (or another preferred oil such as almond/sunflower etc) and Beeswax

OR …... Coconut oil

Labelled jars or pots to store

* Roughly chop comfrey leaves and place in a saucepan

* Cover with oil (if you are using coconut oil you may need to melt it first)

* Heat very very gently just so that you are getting the oil not quite hot, you do not want to Fry your comfrey (although I have been know to accidentally do this myself).

* Turn off the heat and allow to comfrey to infuse in the warm oil for around an hour in a warm place.

* Strain your oil through a sieve into a measuring jug squeezing the leaves with the back of a spoon to keep as much of the oil as you can, then allow to stand for another hour in a warm place.

* If you are using coconut you are now finished and can carefully pour your ointment into jars or pots leaving any sediment behind in the jug and store in a cool place.

* If you are using beeswax you need to measure how much oil you have before carefully pouring back into your wiped out comfrey pan leaving the sediment behind in the jug.

* Add beeswax to your pan using roughly 10grams (½ oz) of beeswax for every 100ml (3 ½ fl oz) of oil,  heat gently to melt and mix, then pour into pots or jars.

And that's it, easy done in a morning.

Comfrey Trees are blossoming

The fabulous weather we have been having on the island recently has sent the comfrey into a serious growth spurt. It self seeds itself and pops up like a weed, but I don't mind in the slightest as it is so useful both in the Stillroom and on the plot, and we use the ones that pop up in completely the wrong places by harvesting them.

For healing it is one of my favourite herbs for broken skin, and those that are slow to mend, e.g. John managed to come out in blisters on his forearms from strimming hogweed, nasty and burn-like and I've been told can scar, so comfrey ointment is being used liberally.

We have several huge clumps dotted about the property which I suspect were originally planted as a source of nitrogen and potassium compost for the garden as it makes a wonderful liquid plant food when made into comfrey tea excellent news for our tomatoes.

If nothing else it makes a fine meal for the bees, they love it and to fills a gap with a pretty plant.

Top Tips for Harvesting Dandelion Flowers

I've been harvesting dandelion flowers for various uses for several years now, and there are a few tricks I have learnt along the way, so whether you are collecting them for remedies, dying yarn, brewing wine or just to add to a salad, here are a few tips for you :)

Before You Pick Your Flower Petals

• Picking dandelions will stain your finger tips and nails and although this will be removed from your skin within a couple of washes, the nails can take a bit longer. One way of reducing this is to dig your nails into a bar of soap and wipe off the excess before going to harvest your dandelions.

• If you intend to use your dandelions for food, remedies, brewing etc avoid harvesting them from the roadside where they will have absorbed excess amounts of heavy metals from car fumes. Also avoid the main parts of your lawn unless you know they haven't been trampled on or peed on by pet dogs, and from the corners of garden walls where they may have been sprayed on by the local tom cat.

• If you are using your dandelions to dye yarn, fleece etc the above point is not important so use the possibly contaminated ones for this purpose.

• Choose a dry sunny day to harvest your flowers, the sun will encourage more flowers to open, and being dry before harvesting means less chance of spoiling your recipe, especially if infusing in oil for remedies. Also it is best to finish harvesting before mid afternoon as the flowers will begin to close up for the day making them harder to pick.

Harvesting Your Dandelion Flowers

It used to take me ages to harvest enough petals for a batch of wine, as I would pull a load of flower heads off before sitting down in the sun and one by one pick all the green backs off the petals to go in the compost, it took twice as long as the way I do it now, plus my hands would be a mess for days.

• First grab your dandelion flower head by the green part at the back tightly, pinch together all of the petals in the fingers in the other hand, then firmly pull out the yellow petals, if a few bits of green sneak in it wont matter. When you have done this a couple of times you can work really quickly filling your measuring jug.

• If there is any little bugs or flies on the flower head, just gently bend over the stalk and tap them out.

• When measuring your flower petals for a recipe, firmly press them down in your jug, but not so hard that the are tightly rammed in.

I hope you find these tips helpful :) 

So tell me what is your favorite use is for the humble dandelion?

Easy Dandelion Flower Wine Recipe

The Dandelion season is in full swing right now and the first big flush of flowers ends up fermented.

This year I am experienting with a new Mead recipe I've made but until it has been tested I will keep that one in my notebook.

Our usual recipe, and the one we used for the wine at our own Handfasting, comes from one of my favourite wild food books for uses in the kitchen.

Wild Food: A Complete Guide for Foragers 

Easy Dandelion Flower Wine Recipe - Makes 1 Gallon

2 pints of Dandelion Petals
1kg (2.2lb) White Sugar
2 Oranges
3 Level Teaspoons of Dried Yeast
Demijohn (carboy) and airlock

Method
Harvest and measure 2 pints of dandelion petals discarding the green backs of the flower heads.
Place the petals in a large container or pan with a tight fitting lid, then pour over 2 litres (1/2 gallon) of boiling water. Cover and leave to stand for 3 days.

After the petals have had their steeping time, strain through a sieve and add the liquid to your demijohn along with the jest and juice of the 2 oranges, a large funnel helps with this.

Add the yeast to a cup half filled with warm previously boiled water and a teaspoon of the sugar and stir, in a few minutes it will begin to froth, stir again and add to the demijohn.

In a jug place half the sugar and dissolve with boiling water, allow this to cool down till it it just warm before adding to the demijohn, repeat with the remaining sugar.

Give it all a swirl and your done. Add the airlock half filled with water, then a small cotton wool ball to the top of the airlock to keep flies out. Put away somewhere to forget about for the next few months. In around a year it should be ready for bottling.

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Meet the Flockers !!!

Meet the new feathered members of the family !!!! We now have a much extended flock of chooks, and our first ducks, we have re-homed them due to a family bereavement and they are slowly settling in :)

Top left we have Charlie Drake (the cute little white cartoon duck) smallest and ruler of the flock, with his missus Jemima (head female duck). Charlie and our other drake seem to have no problem sharing their harem except when it comes to Jemima, she is his Lady :) and Charlie puts him in his place damn quick even though he is half his size.

Bottom left we have our second in command and kept in his place Rhode Island Red. Big Red as he is called, apparently was a bit of a piece of work until having an incident with a car, now he has a limp and comes second place to his older more laid back commander.

Bottom middle we have Curly with one of the younger ladies of the flock. Curly's tail feathers have this adorable way of curling up, he can get quite boorish when it comes to feeding time and is rather bossy with the ladies, but bows down to Charlie's command.

Bottom right we have Mr and Mrs Maran. Mrs Maran is top of the ladies pecking order but is laid back and doesn't seem to need to enforce her place much, and it is rare if she is not by her hubby's side.

Mr Maran is top chook, he is laid back with everyone, keeps Big Red in his place simply by chasing him every so often, other than the other evening when Red tried it on with Mrs Maran and he took exception. A brief fight later and the sparrows were happy with their fresh supply of nest feathers, and Mr Maran kept reminding Red who was in-charge for the next 24 hours.

Top right we have one of our young lady ducks of which there is 7 not including the two drakes and Jemima. The only one named so far is our special needs duck Tilly.

And the final picture on the middle right, is one of our new little red hens. There are 8 of these girls but only two have names, Mona who we have taken out of the run and homed with our 2 older chooks as she was getting severely picked on and is our depressed chook.

We also have Peggy, so named due to her dodgy leg which means she has a limp, but she is actually the least flighty of all the birds and will come right up to you no problem.

We now seem to be inundated with eggs, good job we like quiche, and omlettes, and scrambled egg, egg custard, dippy eggs, egg mayonaise, meringue........

We are Golden

I love the light at this time of year, the sun hanging so low in the sky casting a golden glow everywhere. The flowers all seem to be within the gold spectrum too, I've certainly come to associate spring with yellow.

The daffodils are putting on a fine display, usually they flower sporadically, but I think the mild weather we have had this year has had something to do with it, causing them to burst into bloom together.

Another sign of spring in these parts is lambs in the paddock behind us. I may or may not have a wee squealy moment every year when I spy the first lambs of the season, they are just so tiny.

Today had been a day for new life, the first three lambs of the year appeared around lunch time, as did my ex husband and his wife's new son who was also born around lunch time.

Spring, flowers, babies.