Chickens!

I so wish that I could have a small chicken coop, so that we can have fresh chicken eggs for all our our cooking and baking.  Chickens are great.  They are not messy, they keep away fleas and other bugs such as mosquitos, and they are not messy or noisy.   The other cool thing about chickens is that you only need to have three hens (no rooster needed), to be provided with an abundance of eggs for you and your family. 
We are so interested in chickens that we went to a discussion at the Haverhill Library put on by the Haverhill Farmer's Market. about keeping chickens put on by local farmers.  So one of my reading topics as of late has been urban farming, and  keeping chickens in the city.  I know realistically I will not be able to have chickens any time soon, but as a start my family and I can commit to buy local farm fresh eggs, and learn as much as we can about someday having a coop of our own.  I have read some great books on the subject.  One is called Made from Scratch Discovering the Pleasures of a Handmade Life by Jenna Woginrich.  Two others I have been perusing are A Chicken in Every Yard by Robert and Hannah Litt.   I also just got the book Chicken and Egg by Janice Cole, but I have not had the time to look through that one yet. 

Jenna has a great blog  called Cold Antler Farm which can be found here:
http://coldantlerfarm.blogspot.com/

I decided to start blogging again!

I have a lot to say.  I love reading blogs, and books, sharing reviews and products, and letting others I know about the stuff I am trying and learning about.  It has been a long time since I have blogged at all and I am sure as I get used to blogger there will be some changes on my blog as I go.  I need to figure out how to have my header on top of the page, and I definitely have a lot of pictures to share.  What a better time to start a blog than when I am laid up on the couch recooperating.  I have a nice stack of books by my side to keep me company.  I want to find out how to do product reviews for cookbooks.  We use a bunch of them, and we have our favorites, but we love trying new recipes as a family and are enjoying using our new ingredients from Farmer Dave's CSA.  We have been using Simply in Season a lot to help us make use of our bounty.  We have purchased a few new canning cookbooks, and so far have been using Put Em Up by Sherri Brooks Vinton.  You can find it on Amazon.com here.  http://www.amazon.com/Put-Up-Comprehensive-Preserving-Creative/dp/1603425462.  Aidan and I have made the Classic Strawberry Preserves, Watermelon Rind Pickles, and Cherry Preserves, and so far all have been great.  I need to get a new pressure canner, and stock up on some canning jars.  I also have my eye on a few new cookbooks.  For now, John is doing all of the cooking etc, until I am able to get back to my regular routine.  I am lucky to have him.