Kitchen Cultures

First came sourdough, then kefir grains, then sauerkraut. Moving on to cultured buttermilk and sourdough friendship cake, I'm now fermenting mixed corn for my poultry so that they can benefit from friendly bacteria.....

I purchased a book called "The Art of Fermentation" by Sandor Ellix Katz, a large, orange tome giving an easily read yet well researched basis for all things fermenty. It's an absolutely fascinating subject (it really is) and does an excellent job of reconnecting ourselves with the food we eat, and the nutritional availability of that food. There's home made and home grown and home cooked, but this adds a whole other level, as you're using the very air you breathe and the water you drink and the warmth and humidity of your immediate environment to create a unique foodstuff for your personal consumption - it's actually part of you and your home in a real sense and I find that fascinating.

I've been feeding my sourdough starter with organic rye flour and tap water, and it lives in a kilner jar with the lid on but minus the rubber gaskit ring to allow for release of any excess gases; same storage for the sauerkraut. The kefir grains are fed on raw milk, and the buttermilk is cultured from raw milk, then propagated with pasteurised organic whole milk, both in jam jars with the lid screwed on. The sourdough cake batter is technically a friendship cake recipe but I'm keeping it for myself, although I have given away one batch so I think that counts....does it?

A bucket of grain is soaking in the kitchen and I'll see if I can ferment that for the chickens, as they require a community of bacteria to digest the food in their crops. I have been giving them kefir and excess sourdough starter which they enjoy. Once I could get my head around the idea of fresh food existing in a state of bacterially-maintained equilibrium in these days of sell by and use by dates, it really made a lot of sense. Allowing the good and healthful organisms (from our perspective) to flourish keeps the less desirable ones in check. It's been going on for time immemorial and we have evolved to utilise these bacteria in our own systems - most people I would guess recognise the worth of say, yogurt and its beneficial cultures and different fermented foods are just other members of the family.

It also saves on fridge space; my worktop now has a beautiful array of jars and pots and bowls contentedly doing their thing with a gentle stir here, or a quick sniff there to check they're happy.

A Lifelong Ambition

Yesterday I achieved something I've been wanting to do since I was a young girl. My favourite book when I was growing up was this, the Usborne Naturetrail Omnibus:

I was, and continue to be, a keen amateur naturalist if that's not too grandiose a term (not, as I was corrected once, a keen 'naturist'.....) and one of the pages that always fascinated me was this one, about owl pellets:

 

I have never found one, and although I am aware that you can buy them for dissection purposes, it just wouldn't be the same; there wouldn't be that connection with place and time and the feeling of happening upon a moment with nature.

On yesterday's morning dog walk up through the copse of Scot's Pine, I spotted what looked like a large dark grey pine cone, which on closer examination - including a quick sniff to make sure it wasn't poo of some description - I took to be a pellet. We get tawny, barn and little owls around here, as well as buzzards and kestrels nesting in the copse. Cradling the frozen pellet in my gloved hand, I walked back home and put it in an old dish to warm up a bit so I could investigate.

I found this PDF from the RSPB about studying owl pellets and deduced after a surprisingly relaxing and hugely absorbing hour or so with tweezers and disposable gloves, that I had a pellet which had emanated from a tawny owl with a predilection for wood mice. The diminutive size of the bones was rather enchanting and I must admit, not remotely morbid! Sadly I didn't discover any rat bones which would have been quite welcome. Mandibles, a skull, teeny ribs and femurs: just incredible.

Maybe such a find wouldn't put a grin on many people's faces but I was thrilled to finally realise this long-held ambition!

Super-Duper Coop

Following the sad demise of Esme, the Buff Sussex bantam, the new coop has now arrived and been put together. I decided to have a bit of a swap around, so in fact Hugo the Buff Sussex cockerel and his three hens are now in a Cottage Hen House whilst Simba and his four girls get the new Haven coop. The Haven is bigger than the Cottage and Hugo and co have an extra run so the bigger footprint of the Haven is more appropriate for the larger sub-flock...

I must just say that as a company, Flyte So Fancy are absolutely terrific. The products are well thought out and it is clear that they are designed by someone who actually keeps poultry. The attention to detail is brilliant and the customer service exemplary. I noticed a large crack on the handle of the henhouse when I unwrapped the flat pack (the deliveries don't have to be signed for and I was out when it arrived) and so I sighed and emailed them a photo of the dinged section. I put my iPad down to finish bringing in the panels when my daughter called me to say there was someone on the phone for me - James at Flyte So Fancy! He apologised for the breakage and said that as the length of wood with the handle was screwed rather than nailed on, he would send me out a replacement that afternoon so it would be with me either Saturday or Monday. He reassured me that the integrity of the coop was not compromised by the lack of handle so if I didn't mind making do with the broken section for a couple of days, I could go ahead and construct the coop. No quibble, no fuss and having been on the receiving end of appalling excuses from another company that have sent out goods that have been damaged it is always such a relief to order from such a reputable firm.

So, those hens are now safe from rats and foxes. I did notice rat droppings and a stash of food in one of the other coops so I am worried that they have been running up in there during the day and making a little rodent nest. I daren't keep the popholes shut though as it's such a cold wind at this time of year and the hens often retreat to the shelter of the house to escape the weather. I've been checking vigilantly and since doing so there's not been a problem....

The Haven Henhouse