Yarden of Eatin'

Benefits of Urban Chickens

April 24, 2009Leave a comment

There are a variety of reasons to keep chickens in urban environments, and its not a new fad. People have been keeping chickens in cities for centuries, and here are some of the benefits when you add chickens into your urban lifestyle:

Local source of protein: If you live in an urban environment you can grow your own fresh fruits and vegetables in your backyard. When it comes to supplying your own source of protein however, it’s impossible to get your dog to lay breakfast each morning or fit a cow in your backyard. That’s why chickens are so wonderful! They are small, easy to care for, and won’t take up your entire yard. Chickens provide protein rich eggs, and if you choose to you can also raise them for meat (if slaughtering is legal where you live).

Better quality: Fresh foods simply taste better! Also, when you raise your own eggs and meat, you know what the animal ate, its living conditions, and how it was treated. No need to worry about food safety, antibiotics, or hormones.

Source of fertilizer: Chicken poop is high in nitrogen and great for your compost pile. Supply your backyard garden with compost made from chicken poop and watch your plants flourish!

Natural pest control: Got cockroaches, tomato horn worms, aphids, grubs, or any other pest you don’t want in your yard or garden? Chickens are great at controlling these pests naturally- no need to put nasty chemicals in your yard.

It’s fun! Chickens can provide a breath of fresh air in our busy urban lifestyles (as long as you don’t step in their poop!). Just like cats and dogs, chickens have personalities and can be great companions. If you can’t keep indoor pets, chickens are a wonderful alternative with the added benefit of providing food. Also, your neighbors and friends will come flocking over to your house to take part in all the excitement.

You can be a part of the local food movement! The local food movement is taking off, and by keeping chickens you can take pride in being a producer and not just a consumer. Help feed your own existence!

Be sure to watch this great video on backyard chicken keeping.
Less than 3 minutes long… http://www.cbsatlanta.com/video/17983964/index.html

Henry’s Sustainable Stew

April 24, 2009Leave a comment

From the Vermont Earth Institute Local Foods Potluck

2 large onions
3 medium carrots, sliced into rounds
3 cloves garlic, minced
6 whole frozen tomatoes
3 ice-cubes of tomato paste
1 cup dried apple, chopped into chunks
1 cup apple juice
1 tablespoon fennel seeds
1 tablespoon dried parsley
3 small sprigs fresh thyme
1 sprig rosemary
1 butternut squash
1 cup celeriac root, chopped
1-2 tablespoon olive oil

Saute onions and garlic in olive oil. Take whole frozen tomatoes and run under hot water and rub off the skins. Let sit 5 minutes, core and chop. Add to onions. Chop dehydrated apples and add to stew, along with apple juice. Cut half-inch slices of celeriac root and then peel with an ordinary potato peeler; add to stew. Add spices and simmer for an hour. About half an hour before serving, cut carrots into rounds and add to stew. Peel and chop squash into chunks and add to stew. Simmer 30 minutes and serve with bread. This stew has a sweet-sour quality.

Baked Camembert with Maple and Cranberries

April 24, 2009Leave a comment

From Coombs Family Farm

1/2 cup water
¼ cup maple syrup
6 oz fresh whole cranberries
Zest of one clementine
1 8-inch-diameter 32- to 36-ounce Camembert (or Brie)

Bring water and syrup to a boil in saucepan. Add cranberries and zest. Boil gently for about 7 minutes or until sauce is thickened. Cool completely and refrigerate. Preheat oven to 350°F. Unwrap Camembert and cut away large circle in top rind of cheese, leaving rind on sides and bottom intact. Slice in half horizontally. Spread sauce in thin layer in between halves, and on top of cheese. Bake on baking sheet until cheese just melts, about 20 minutes.

New Peterborough-Based Project Aims to help Food Pantries, Farms

April 24, 2009May 2, 2009Leave a comment

By Sentinel Staff, Published: Thursday, April 23, 2009

PETERBOROUGH — The Town Farm Project’s aim is to hire local farmers to provide fresh produce, meat, milk or eggs to local food pantries or community kitchens.

Daniel D. Holmes of Sunnyfield Farm in Peterborough and two other local farmers, Brad Miller of Greenfield and Carrie Dumas of Peterborough, have spent the last two months organizing the project through the Peterborough Grange, a branch of a national nonprofit agriculture education and advocacy organization.

“It’ll be a way to make sure that the kitchens can provide high-quality, local food and it will help make local farms more economically viable,” Holmes said.

Organizers are now working to raise money and then begin seeking farmers to work with.

Members of the grange raised more than $250 last weekend selling pizzas at Peterborough’s “Greenerborough” event. And along with private donations and a $200 contribution from a local slow-food organization, Holmes says the project is gaining interest among community members.