Edible garden
Made egg and chive sandwiches for lunch today. With chives from the garden. One day soon the eggs will be from the garden when i get my chickens. Fingers crossed :0)

Picked some more blackberries now just need to collect some jars. Help me free cycle!

14 Days to go!!!

No your maths isn't wrong and actually neither is mine. The chickens are coming early. 

So the family have already had to be drafted in to chicken collect. Never mind chicken sit as I'm on a residential that weekend with work!!!!  I just need to use my powers of persuasion to get my brother to drive my dad to the collection point.

My dad :0) has been today to give the wooden coop another coat of stain to protect it and I've been to buy another bag of ex - Batt Crumb.  I've also bought chicken grit.

Ooh I love ticking things off my list.  So i'm now pretty much sorted. I just need to check wether I can get shredded paper for the nest box. :0)

Edible Garden
-  I have harvested some more courgettes that makes six so far :0) and just made ratatouille which I'm going to freeze when it cools a bit.  I also used some chives from the garden in this so hope it tastes good.

- I have also collected another box of blackberries (from my hedge) with which I'm hoping to make some jam that I can keep as I've given away all (3 jars so not that many really) that I've made so far.

Finally!

Well after two days of searching, visiting various feed stores and pet shops. I have finally located a stockist of Ex-Batt Crumbs and i've got some in for my girls when they arrive!!! They will be pleased. :0)

Next on the list.

Grit and a container!

Oh well getting there, getting there I love ticking things off my list.

27 Days to go

Nothing bought today for the chickens.

The good news is the family have surrvived testing the blackberry jam I made yesterday with the Blackberries I picked from my garden hedges. My dad has kept the jar!

Ingredients:


• 1 lb blackberries, cleaned thoroughly and stalks removed

• 1 lb jam sugar

• splash of water (approx 2 tablespoons)

Method:

1. Put a saucer in the freezer before starting the jam.

2. Tip the cleaned blackberries into a large saucepan and heat gently, adding a splash of water.

3. When the mixture heats gently and the berries start to break down, tip in the sugar.

4. Once the sugar is added, bring to a rapid boil and stir regularly. The pink foam will rise up the sides of the saucepan - time four minutes from this stage and continue to boil and stir as needed.

5. Take the saucer out of the freezer. With a teaspoon, drop a small amount of the hot jam onto the frozen saucer and push the blob of jam with a finger. If a wrinkle forms, the jam has reached setting point. Take off the heat and cool slightly, then pour into warmed sterilised glass jars. Seal while warm.

Can't believe I made Jam. There are a lot more blackberries ripening so I might make some more later in the week!!!!!

28 days to go

So the count down to the chickens begins.

I'm going to be rehoming 3 ex battery chickens on the 18th of September and we already have the names picked out. HENrietta, Gertrude and Molly.  I am looking forward to their arrival.

The coop has been built by my dad and today I have been and bought two drinkers and two feeders I'm still trying to find ex battery crumb to feed them when they arrive.  I'm sure I'll have managed by then.

 I've been to visit my friend Kathryns chickens to begin getting used to it. I'm really looking forward to the scrapes I'm going to get into.