New Quail Accomodation

The quail have been living in a cage inside the chicken fence with the chickens (they can't really free range as they would just fly off - although some people try it and it works although I think it would then be hard to find the eggs). This works quite well except they are quite hard on the ground they are on. Their poo is very strong and kills the grass and unlike the chickens they won't go in to a house - which is where the chickens seem to poo most, making it easy to clean them out and stop their enclosure becoming a poo swamp like the quails.
This cage was quite big as we thought they would like room to move around, but they stayed in one corner pretty much all the time, so we decided a smaller cage under cover and off the ground would be more practical. I debated with myself for a long time about whether a cage with a metal mesh floor was OK - we want our animals to be happy and comfortable. In the end I decided to go for it as it is so practical from the keeping them clean point of view - with the thought that we could put something else in as the floor if they seemed uncomfortable. They seem very happy (as far as quail express emotion), they wander about a bit, and spend the rest of the time sitting watching the world go by, which seemed to be their favorite activity in the other cage too. We now have them in the little barn attached to the house as their new house really needs to be under shelter, they seem happy watching comings and goings and only a bit but out by a giant dog face appearing right in front of them.

The cage has a slight slope so eggs roll forward for collection. In their other cage they just seemed to lay eggs anywhere although they did dig holes sometimes and lay in the hole but I felt it was for a feeling of security rather than egg laying as they generally seemed quite happy just dropping eggs wherever they happened to be - unlike chickens who like to lay all in the same place and in a secluded area which is why the chicken houses have nest boxes.

Cheddar

A while ago I tried making cheddar. It was nice, but not really like cheddar. I haven't made any cheese in yonks, I do fully intend to get back to it one day (the usual time for everything ie 'when the house is done'). Perhaps I will never master cheddar as there seem to be many variables which must be precisely right. However it won't matter as one of the local supermarkets (Leader Price) which opened recently does very nice (Scottish) extra mature cheddar. Hurrah for cheese on toast! I didn't realise how much I used cheddar for until I didn't have it...

Toasted cheese (on home made sourdough bread)

New Zealand memories

Nick brought us a bottle of wine from the Mudbrick Vineyard and Restaurant in New Zealand.
We had it the other night - it brought back happy memories of eating and drinking there when we were in New Zealand in 2002 on our round the world trip. So long ago now, but yet it seems only moments...

We had it with roast lamb, marrow and potato. All home grown. Delicious!

How is Owen?

People have asked how he is.
He is fine, not cured, but not worse. Some spots are better but new ones appear from time to time.
We are treating him by grooming and spraying with very dilute anti bacterial solution a couple of times a week - initially TCP, but now hibiscrub. I use only a few ml in a 1 liter of water. I apply it with a plant sprayer and rub it in carefully to the lumpy spots as well as picking off the scabs - apparently this is a good thing to do as it allows the anti bacterial to get to the infection as well as letting the spot dry out. It feels like a bad thing to do though as you are basically pulling his hair out! We are also having him the barn overnight occasionally to make sure he dries out properly.

Spicy Chicken Hearts

They have a lot of exciting things in the supermarket here that you don't see often in the UK. For example lambs lungs, pigs tongue, pigs trotters, calves sweetbreads (pancreas) and chicken hearts. I bought some chicken hearts although I had no idea what to do with them. This is what I came up with.

Serves 2 

300g of chicken hearts (that is a lot of hearts!)

1 onion

1 clove of garlic (grated or finely chopped)

10cl cream

Juice of half a lemon

1 tsp gravy granules (cheating I know but I often use when i want a sauce thickened for the flavour too... eg when I make stirfry). Use flour if you don't cheat on your gravy less than a tsp though.

Splash of water

1tsp cumin

1tsp paprika

Some cayenne pepper or fresh chilli - to your own taste

4 juniper berries (crushed)

125g rice

Chop the onion and fry on a low heat until lightly browned. Perhaps 15 mins.

Add the hearts, spices and the garlic and increase the heat slightly. Fry for a couple of minutes.

Add the cream, the lemon and the gravy granules. Stir until it boils, then add a bit of water to thin a little to consistancy of cream.

Simmer gently for about 15 minutes. Use this time to cook the rice too.

Serve

I found the hearts to have an interesting texture, not nasty, but not amazing either. The sauce was delicious though, and would go well with chopped chicken, pork or some kind of firm veg (aubergine, courgette and baby sweetcorn?)

Animals on the loose.

I got up this morning and was just putting on the kettle for tea when I saw a bunny hopping past. I quickly locked up the dog and rushed outside. Bunny boy has learnt to move his cage by sticking his nose through the bars and lifting it up then hopping forward. We have tied a rock to the corner of it to weigh it down, but somehow he had knocked this off. He seemed quite keen to be caught though and just hopped in to my hands.

I retired inside for tea (can't function without at least two cups in the morning) and some breakfast, I was halfway down the first cup of tea when Doug stuck his head round the door and shouted 'horse on the loose!', so I rushed out again, just in time to hear Doug say 'oh the sheep are out too'. From the hoof prints it seems that Daisy got out some time in the night, and then in the morning got tangled in the electric wire going up to the cows field, as she ran off she mowed down the Ouessant sheeps fence. Luckily the cow fence didn't come down too. 

Daisy seemd very keen to be caught and returned to her field with Owen and Voltaire, the sheep were also quite easy to catch although the roofer turned up mid process which nearly scares them off.

Having animals makes unpredictable days! We were meant to spend the morning insulating not chasing naughty animals!

Bunnies love brambles!

Sometimes we feel if we turn our backs for a second, brambles will engulf almost the entire property - with nettles taking over the small remaining areas.

The horses eat the leaves a bit in winter and the highland cows are good at forcing their way in to the odd bramble patch, but none of the animals seem to really LOVE them, they just eat a bit when there is nothing else on offer.

With the possible bunny pregnancy, I was reading about feeding rabbits when you are not feeding pellets (which we are not) and something I read suggested they really enjoy bramble leaf and that this is reasonably high in protien along with useful vitamins. So I gave them some to try and they YUMMED it down.

It is hard to imagine how we will harness the bunny bramble eating power to see off the evil invader from our land, but it is good to know that they are of some use at least.

I also read that willow is a good high protein feed for rabbits which was interesting as we are considering making some 'living fences' from willow. You can make willow 'hay' by cutting branches int he summer and drying for feed in the winter.

Bramble leaf tea is meant to be good for you too apparently, but is it tasty?? We will have to try and see.