My momma duck has started to lay eggs. She usually starts around this time laying an egg each day in a hollowed out spot on the floor in the chicken coupe. She isn't serious about having any babies at this point, and certainly doesn't sit on them yet. That won't happen until around June. That's when she usually makes a nest in the iris patch, lining it with grass, feathers she has pulled from her own chest as well as feathers from around the yard discarded by the chickens. Then she will lay a clutch of eggs, one each day until there are about 6 or 8. At this point, she will sit on them day and night (I put a large dog kennel around her to keep the skunks away!) and will hiss at me when I get too close. The male ducks stay pretty close during the day, but they seem to understand that she is well protected at night and will leave her to go into the chicken coupe when it gets dark. It takes 34 days for her eggs to hatch (She is a Rouen duck). Usually only one or two actually hatch as not all of them are fertile. It is so much fun to watch her teach her new babies to swim in the horse trough.
It was another blustery day, and a good day to use up some of the apples that were left from picking last fall. Apples keep quite well if constantly refrigerated, and the Golden Delicious and Spartans have only just become a little wilted. So apple pie was in order. Here is how to make my grandmother's pie crust and apple pie filling:
Apple pie Filling:
Depending on the size of your pie plate (I like a 10 inch Deep Dish plate) you will need 4 or 5 large apples. Peel core and cut up apples into small pieces and place in a medium bowl. Add the following:
Stir together and set aside Make the crust as below: Grandma Toftner's Pie Crust:
Each recipe makes one crust - for a double crust pie (such as apple) double the recipe.
1 cup all purpose flour, sifted 1/2 tsp salt 6 tbsp shortening (I only use Crisco brand) 3 tbsp ice water Using a pastry cutter
combine the flour, salt and shortening until well blended in the medium
bowl. Add ice water a little at a time while stirring with a butter
knife and just until blended. Do not stir too much and only add as much
water as needed to get the flour mixture to stick together. This
should be slightly dry while not having excess flour left in the bottom
of the bowl. Place in refrigerator while making the filling, or for at
least 10 - 15 minutes. Roll out on a lightly floured surface, taking
care to not work the dough too much as this will make it hard and less
flaky. Fold the dough in half, place in a greased pie plate and open
out. Lightly press the dough to fit the pie plate. The bottom crust should always be thicker
than the top crust. Fill with the apple mixture above and add the top crust. Cut a few slits in the top crust, trim the excess with a butter knife, flute the edges and bake at 350 for an hour. Top with ice cream or whipped cream and Enjoy!!
It has been a long winter. A lot has happened at Eagle Rock Ranch. Suffice it to say I'm glad spring is here.
The new baby chicks are in the brood pen, growing like weeds. These are the meat chickens and will be ready to process in 6 weeks. There are a few turkeys in with them too but they will not be ready till later this fall.
The big chickens are out and about in the yard free-ranging as they do all year except winter. The three roosters have done a good job this spring so far of keeping the hens safe.
One of my Americana hens, an Americana Rooster and a Barred Rock hen. There are 37 in all.
Yesterday was a good day to bake bread. My favorite bread recipe and the staple bread for our family is a honey wheat bread made with milk. This recipe will make two large loaves of bread. I double it and mix it in my Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer fitted with the dough hook. You can blend it by hand, but it does take significantly longer to incorporate the flour. When my cow is milking, I prefer to use whole fresh milk or buttermilk after making butter. Unfortunately she won't have a calf till July so store-bought milk it is. I have been using Organic Valley Skim Milk since Violet dried up in December. It is from pasture raised organically fed cows. (Follow the link to read more about their cows and their milk.) I do not remember where I got this recipe, but here it is: Milk and Honey Bread: In a medium bowl add:
1 cup very warm water 4 TBSP butter cut into small pieces
Set this aside. In another medium bowl add:
1/2 cup warm water (105 - 115 degrees F) 1/4 tsp sugar (stir into water) 2 1/2 tsp (1 pkg) yeast
Set this aside. In the bowl of your stand mixer combine:
1 cup milk or buttermilk 1/4 cup honey 1 TBSP salt 1 TBSP sugar 1/2 tsp vinegar
Stir these ingredients together and add the butter/water mixture and the yeast/water mixture. Be sure you are using the lowest setting on your mixer. Then add:
6 cups bread flour
If you would like to make this into wheat bread as I do, you can instead use 2 cups of whole wheat flour and 4 cups of bread flour. Continue mixing on low until all the flour is incorporated. Turn the mixer to the 2nd setting and knead for 10 minutes. Turn the dough out on a floured surface and sprinkle the top of the dough with additional flour. knead by hand for 3 or 4 minutes to finish the dough. Grease a large bowl and turn the dough into the bowl. Cover with a clean tea towel and leave in a warm place to rise until doubled in size. This will take a varied amount of time based on how warm your room is. If it is very warm, the dough may proof in 1 hour. In a cooler room, it may take as long as 2-3 hours. Once the dough has doubled in size, turn it out onto a clean surface and cut in half (for a single recipe). Form each half into a loaf and put in a large greased bread pan. (I prefer dark heavy metal pans that are non-stick. You can buy them here.) Cover with the tea towel and allow to rise again until the dough fills the pan and is shaped like a loaf of bread. This takes approx. 1-2 hours depending again on how warm the room is.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place the loaves in the middle rack of the oven. Bake for 25 - 35 minutes or until golden brown all over. Remove from oven and turn out onto a tea towel and allow to cool completely.
Trouble shooting:
1. If your dough refuses to rise: a. Check the expiration date on the yeast. Stale yeast will not work. b. Your room may be too cold. c. Be sure you have used the proper amount of sugar in the recipe. Attempting to substitute sugar for other sweeteners will not properly feed the yeast and allow it to bloom appropriately.
2. If your finished bread has too many holes in it or it falls apart too easily: a. You may have allowed the loaves to rise too long putting too much air into the bread.
3. If your finished bread is heavy and dense: a. Check the expiration date on the yeast. b. You may not have kneaded the dough enough. c. Your room may be too cold. d. You may not have allowed the dough to rise enough. 4. If the finished loaf is doughy or not cooked through: a. Increase the bake time. Enjoy your finished bread and the satisfaction that you have made a tasty alternative to cheap cardboard bread or expensive bakery bread.
