Le Coup - my Chicken Coop and Chickens (playlist)

One of my chicken videos appeared in an online Backyard Chickens Magazine today which created a lot of interest in the video. This is the complete playlist of all of mu chicken related videos close to 3 hours of video. You should be able to skip through them and watch only ones that interest you, assuming there is one that interests you. LOL

Making Wild Bird Food Suet Cakes

Making your own suet cakes for the birds is not only cheaper but you can put more quality ingredients in the cakes, it's easy to do and you know they are fresh and safe to feed to the birds. I made five loaded with good treats and it didn't cost any more than 2 or 3 of the commercially available cakes.

Coddled Eggs

Coddled Eggs, originally uploaded by Campobello Island.

I just bought four Royal Worcester Egg Coddlers on eBay a steal at $15.50 for all four. New they are selling at $40.00 each. They are easy to use and the end product is delicious. the method that I used:

Butter the inside of the coddler.
Crack a fresh egg into each coddler.
Season with salt and pepper.
Screw the lids on the coddlers.
Place in boiling water deep enough to come almost up to the metal rim.
Boil until they reach the desired consistency, personally I like 7 minutes.
Remove from the water remove the lids and enjoy.

Woody - Female Downy Woodpecker

Woody - Female Downy Woodpecker, originally uploaded by Campobello Island.

We have various kinds of woodpeckers and they are at my bird table often. This little girl was acting very strange though. That is a suet cake that she is hanging on I don't know how long she might have been there but I watched her off and on for half an hour and she wasn't moving or eating just hanging there. When I was ready to leave for the Sunday afternoon walk with the local walking group I walked right past her and she still didn't move so I became concerned that she might be caught in the wire of the suet cake cage so I walked right up to her and took this photo from about 3 feet away. She stayed there for a minute or two while I talked to her and finally flew up into a tree. I was explaining this and showing the photo to some of the walking group who are birders and they told me that woodpeckers are known to take naps during the day. Problem solved, I guess.

Artichoke Seed give away and some chat.

A thank you to Jerry at Back Yard Homesteaders for his seed organizing system. I'm growing Artichokes from seed a variety that is supposed to produce Artichokes in the first season and I have divided up the seed that I have left over and I'm offering them free to the first 9 viewers to request them. I'm going to use tongue depressors as plant labels because they are much cheaper and larger but I want to read the warning, to you, that is on the label of the brand that I'm using.

Homemade Ice Cream

Just got a new toy and had to try it out.

Ingredients

2 cups/500ml heavy cream
2 cups/500ml whole milk
2 egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
2 tbs/25ml vanilla extract

Fan vaults of Canterbury Cathedral

Fan vaults of Canterbury Cathedral, originally uploaded by Campobello Island.

I took this photo last April in Canterbury Cathedral. I was never happy with it because it wasn't square or straight. Well of course you can do anything with a digital photo and I just figured out how to straighten it.

A short video of my day trip to Canterbury from London, last April.

Scotch Eggs - Vegetarian or with meat.

Scotch eggs are very easy to make all you need is hard boiled eggs, bread crumbs , one beaten egg and sausage meat either real meat or vegetarian protean substitute . I hope you try these if you have never had them, they are great eaten hot or cold, a great picnic food too.

Pizza di patate - Potato Pizza

Pre heat oven to 475 degrees.

Ingredients:

Pizza Dough of your choice

1 medium potato sliced very thin
1 small onion sliced very thin
grated or slivered cheese of your choice
1/4 cup olive oil (there will be oil left over makes great garlic bread)
1 clove garlic minced
Fresh or dried Rosemary to taste
sea salt and pepper to taste


Mix oil, salt, pepper, garlic and rosemary. Roll out dough and put it on an oiled pizza pan. Withe a pastry brush coat the dough with the seasoned oil. Arrange a layer of the potatoes on the dough and then brush the potatoes with the oil. Top the potatoes with the thinly sliced onions and cheese.

Bake in the preheated over for 12 to 15 minutes.

Winter Greens for my Chickens

Growing greens under lights as treats for my Chickens this winter. Time lapse of the actual growing and a look at the hens enjoying their treat.

Winter Entertainment in the Coop

Minus 17 degrees and the girls in the coop are enjoying a breakfast of hot cereal and a new toy to play with and eat for the remainder of the day.

Have a look and subscribe to the free Keeping Chickens
Newsletter:

http://www.keepingchickensnewsletter.com/

And the winner is .......

Victorian Kitchen Garden: NOVEMBER

Unfortunately for October, November and December all I can find is the first 10 minutes of each program. I have written the distributor to see if the whole videos might become available but haven't had a reply yet. If they become available I will post them.

The Way - Movie Trailer (2011) HD

Don't miss this if you get a chance to see it or rent it on DVD it gives you a real feel of what the Camino is like. The experience of a lifetime.

Martin Sheen plays Tom, an American doctor who comes to St. Jean Pied de Port, France to collect the remains of his adult son, killed in the Pyrenees in a storm while walking The Camino de Santiago, also known as The Way of Saint James. Driven by his profound sadness and desire to understand his son better, Tom decides to embark on the historical pilgrimage, leaving his "California bubble life" behind. Armed with his son's backpack and guidebook, Tom navigates the 800 km pilgrimage from the French Pyrenees, to Santiago de Compostela in the north west of Spain, but soon discovers that he will not be alone on this journey. While walking The Camino, Tom meets other pilgrims from around the world, all broken and looking for greater meaning in their lives: a Dutchman (Yorick van Wageningen) a Canadian (Deborah Kara Unger) and an Irish writer (James Nesbitt) who is suffering from a bout of "writer's block." From the hardship experienced along "The Way" this unlikely quartet of misfits create an everlasting bond and Tom begins to learn what it means to be a citizen of the world again, and discovers the difference between "The life we live and the life we choose". THE WAY was filmed entirely in Spain and France along the actual Camino de Santiago.

Tarte aux Pommes Mapie Traditional French Apple Tart

Tarte aux Pommes Mapie
Traditional French Apple Tart

1Unbaked Tart Shell
2 Large firm apples peeled and sliced thin
8 tbsp/120 ml Butter
1 1/4 cups/300 ml Sugar
4 large eggs (Fresh from the coop)
3 tbsp/45 ml Flour

Optional but I add a teaspoon of vanilla and a few good grinds of fresh nutmeg.

Pre heat oven to 450F/230C.

Line a removable bottom tart pan with the pastry. Arrange the prepared apples in the pan. Melt the butter over medium heat and continue heating until it turns a light brown colour. Add butter and seasonings to the sugar and combine. Add the flour and mix in well. Add the eggs one at a time and beat to combine. Pour mixture over the apples and put in the pre heated oven for 8 minutes then reduce the heat to 350F/180C and bake an additional 45 to 55 minutes until the tart is brown and doesn't jiggle in the centre when shaken lightly. Cool then remove the tart from the pan serve as is or dusted with confectioners sugar.

My thank you for subscribing contest.

I'm getting close to 400 subscribers on my YouTube channel, so I thought I would have a thank you to my subscribers contest. Once I reach the 400 goal or a few days after if that should happen immediately, want to give people a chance to enter, I will draw a name and announce the winner.

The rules are very simple subscribe if you haven't already done so and leave a comment below this video saying you would like to enter the contest. The prize is a $25.00 gift certificate from Vesey Seeds, King Arthur Flour or Murrary McMurrary Hatchery.. Click the link to have a look at their website http://www.veseys.com/ca/en/ I always order almost all of my seed from them, King Arthur Flour http://www.kingarthurflour.com/ wonderful source for kitchen gadgets and Murrary McMurray Hatchery http://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com a great source of poultry and poultry keeping supplies. If you live outside the USA or Canada I will ship you the supplies but obviously not live poultry LOL.

Thank you for subscribing and good luck with the contest.

Ruby Throated Humming Bird resting on a finger.

This is amazing not sure who the owner of the video is but I think it was filmed on Campobello in 2009.

Victorian Kitchen Garden: OCTOBER

Maddening but all I'm able to find is the first 10 minutes of the October episode, if I ever find the rest I will post it.

Victorian Kitchen Garden: September

I have seed available in my Free Open Pollinated Seed Exchange for the Blue Podded Pea, mentioned in this episode. To go to the exchange just click on the name. The instructions for requesting the seed are outlined at the top of the blog.

Victorian Kitchen Garden: August