May I have another….?

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When you own a dog people don’t call you and ask, “Hi, so and so told me you have a dog I need to get rid of my 10 dogs, would you like them?” Nor do they say, “hey I hear you have a ferrett, would you like a python to keep it company?”

I’m not sure what it is about owning farm animals that makes people believe that you always want more. They are usually right.

Our most recent call came from a women looking to get rid of her chickens. Great we thought, we’re looking to slowly build our flock. She thought, thought she had 15 Rockland Reds and Araucanas. Plus our 9 we thought that was very workable.

We got a call later that night…my husband already in bed…she (Laura) had 15 Araucanas and 6 Rockland Reds and she wanted to know if she could bring them over that night. She gathered them up in preperation for delivery and they seemed uncomfortable in their travel cases. Boy my husband was in for a surprise! So in the still of night with flashlights and four small children, we unloaded 21 new chickens into their new home.

As it turned out our daughters went to school together and will share the same teacher next year. Sometimes it’s a good thing to open your henhouse to people you think are perfect strangers.

Down Time

It’s mid-July (my wedding anniversary to be exact) and everything that is going to be planted has been planted. The daylilies are all beginning to bloom and the hostas are looking full and beautiful tucked away in their shady corners.

The snap peas and shell peas (what the ducks didn’t eat) are being harvested and the summer squash is on it’s way…a little late. I tasted my first mini white cucumber of the season and can’t wait for more!

The peppers, ahhh the peppers, I wonder if I will ever be able to grow peppers. Nothing much going on there. I met up with another farmer at the Rowley farmers market this past Sunday, she has the same problem with tomatoes. I guess there are just some things people can’t grow…

Kind of like the climbing french beans ~ they must not have liked my American soil. Not one grew!

But it is the Heirloom tomatoes we all long for and those will take their sweet ole time…but we’ll wait

Stuffed & Fried Squash Flowers

10squash flowers
2 medium potatoes
2 zucchini
1 egg
2 tbsp. grated Parmigiano-Reggiano and Grana Padano
1 tbsp. extra-vergine olive oil
marjoram
salt and pepper
1 clove garlic (if desired)

Preheat the oven to 400° F. Boil, drain and peel the potatoes. Pass them through a sieve and put the pure' in a bowl. Scald the zucchini and pass them through a sieve or mash with a fork. Add them to the potatoes, along with the egg, grated Parmesan and oil. Season with marjoram, salt and pepper. A chopped clove of garlic can be added to the filling, if desired. Mix thoroughly and stuff the flowers. Fry the flowers in boiling oil, then drain them, put them in a baking dish and bake in a 400° F. oven for 10 minutes before serving.

alice's deep fried zucchinin flowers

My mother would often whip-up a batch of fried zucchini flowers for my sisters and I to munch on as a summer treat. Buy Tempura batter or make a batter with one egg, some flour and milk or water and garlic powder. Refrigerate the batter for one hour before using it. Dip the flowers in the batter and then into hot oil. As they become crispy, remove them with a slotted spoon onto a large plate covered with a paper towel. When they have all been cooked, put them on to the serving dish and keep in the oven at 175 until it is time to serve.