The 2015 Spring Issue of In Season Magazine

Because Living Well is Always In Season

The Spring Issue 2015

Photo by: Whimsical Years Photography

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1840 Farm

Perfectly Peeled Fresh Eggs Jewel Toned Eggs for Your Family Table Multigrain Farmhouse Brioche Subscriber’s Giveaway Beer and Brown Sugar Braised Pork Classic Sauerkraut Cast Iron Skillet Pork and Potato Hash Old Fashioned Dixie Recipes — Raisin Sauce Spring Chick Pops

Basic Duckling Care Basic Rabbit Care Raising Baby Goats

Little Chicken Bean Bags Folding a Napkin Rose

Jennifer Burcke lives and writes at the intersection of family, food, and farming at 1840 Farm in Southern New Hampshire.

Three generations of her family call the farm home along with their heritage breed hens, Nigerian Dwarf goats, and one dapper French Angora Rabbit named Herbert Menninger.

Brittany May and Penny Ausley have a combined thirty-eight years experience raising and using herbs. Brittany is a certified herbalist through the New England Herbal Academy. Since starting Happy-Days-Farm, this love of herbs has turned into an opportunity to learn how to apply natural and herbal prevention and treatments to our animals to keep them healthy.

Jennifer Sartell and her husband Zach have a passionate goal to enjoy a simple life by creating art, enjoying nature, raising animals and to continue a deep appreciation for homesteading. Jennifer’s written work, illustrations and photography have been published in many books and magazines both in print and online including Grit, Capper's Farmer, Hobby Farms and Community Chickens.

Darlene Terry is a photographer living along the Mid Coast of Maine. Over the years, she has focused her work on taking photographs of people - weddings, portraits, informal family sessions, high school seniors, children and animals. She loves to go out into nature and photograph whatever captures her attention.

Lisa Steele is the creative mind behind Fresh Eggs Daily速, the popular destination for natural chicken keeping advice and one of the Top 10 Gardening Blogs for 2014 as named by Better Homes & Gardens magazine. She is a fifth-generation chicken keeper and certified herbalist who has been raising her own backyard flock since 2009 and sharing her farming adventures on her blog and Facebook pages.

Katy Light has a 44 acre homestead in North Georgia, where she raises goats, rabbits, sheep and chickens. She is passionate about self-sufficiency, natural ways to live, and fiber.

Brandy Nelson is the mother to four and a creative enthusiast. Having grown up with creative influences around her, she has a deep appreciation for all things handmade.

When given the choice between a good book or a craft project, the scissors and glue sticks win every time.

Their blog features crafts, recipes, kids activities and step by step tutorials from their home to yours.

T h e S p r i ng I s s u e

2015

W

elcome to the Spring Issue of In Season Magazine!

After the long winter, we don’t need much of an excuse to celebrate the arrival of spring.

We plan to enjoy every single moment this season has to offer.

If you’re feeling crafty, you won’t want to miss learning how to make little chicken bean bags for the young chicken keeper in your life. You’ll even find a video to show you how to fold a standard cloth napkin into a beautiful rose for your dinner table.

In this issue, you’ll find a few of our favorite seasonal recipes.

We’ll start with the best method for creating the perfectly peeled fresh egg and move right on to turning them into beautiful jewel toned eggs for your family table using kitchen staples you have in the pantry.

As if that wasn’t enough, we have a fantastic Subscriber’s Giveaway to share with you. We have a new WonderMix Kitchen Mixer to give away to one lucky winner! One winner will be randomly selected on April 21, 2015.

All subscribers to In Season Magazine will be automatically entered to win.

We’ve included a delicious recipe for braising a pork roast in brown sugar and beer that will be sure to become a family favorite. You can learn more about lacto fermentation and how easy it is to make your own homemade sauerkraut. There are even instructions to create adorable chick pops that the children in your life will enjoy making as much as they’ll love eating them.

We have a trio of great articles about tending to the animals in your life. You can learn about taking care of ducklings, tending to the daily needs of rabbits, and the many methods of raising goat kids.

You can visit 1840 Farm to about the WonderMix and learn can earn additional entries and your odds of winning this mixer.

read all how you increase amazing

We’re already curating The Summer Issue that we’ll be sharing with you in June. Until then, we hope that you enjoy this issue from cover to cover!

Perfectly Peeled Fresh Eggs Jewel Toned Eggs for Your Family Table Multigrain Farmhouse Brioche Subscriber’s Giveaway Beer and Brown Sugar Braised Pork Classic Sauerkraut Cast Iron Skillet Pork and Potato Hash Old Fashioned Dixie Recipes — Raisin Sauce Spring Chick Pops

Photo by: 1840 Farm

Perfectly Peeled Fresh Eggs Story and Photos by: Lisa Steele from Fresh Eggs Daily

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love hard-cooked eggs. I like to keep a container of them in the fridge and like to pop one in my mouth for a quick, nutritious snack.

The one downside to fresh eggs is how hard they are to peel. Everyone says 'just mark some and put them aside for a few weeks and then they'll peel fine'. Well, to me, that defeats the purpose of raising chickens for the fresh eggs if you're just going to let them sit around and get old. I was determined to figure out how to get perfectly peeled hardcooked eggs. I tried every method out there I think - with mixed results.

Then several months ago, a friend told me a great tip for hard-boiled eggs. STEAM them instead. No more boiling. No more hard-to-peel eggs. No more waiting until your fresh eggs are old. No more salting the water or adding vinegar. It's easy, quick and foolproof.

Try steaming your eggs. I promise you once you try it, you will never boil again.

Heat water to boiling in the bottom of a double boiler, vegetable steamer or bamboo steamer.

Rinse your eggs in warm water (you can use eggs you just collected that morning, if you want) and place them in the top of the steamer. Steam for 20 minutes and then plunge the eggs into a bowl of ice water until they are cool enough to peel.

Roll each egg on the counter to break the shell and then crack the wide end of the egg and peel. Perfectly peeled eggs - every time !

And you won't get that grayish green rim along the yolk that results from cooking the eggs for too long and cooling them too slowly.

Jewel Toned Eggs for Your Story and Photos by: Jennifer Burcke from 1840 Farm

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very holiday has its own unique food traditions.

Easter has many. Creating brightly colored eggs would be near the top of

the list.

For a few years, we were unable to participate in this tradition due to a food allergy to eggs. Those egg free Easter celebrations were every bit as joyous and memorable.

We made new egg free traditions.

Shortly after we had accepted that egg coloring would not be a part of our Easter celebration, we learned that the egg allergy had cleared. Chicks were ordered, a coop was built, and we entered the world of chicken keeping.

The following February, we collected our first fresh egg. A few weeks later, we had enough of them to make a batch of colored eggs. It wasn’t Easter, but we had plenty to celebrate, so we gathered in the farmhouse kitchen to make a batch of colored eggs together. Since then, we’ve been known to color a batch of eggs for reasons other than celebrating Easter.

Why not? There’s no reason to relegate all the egg coloring fun to one holiday a year.

When we returned to coloring eggs for our family table, we decided to put our own spin on it, creating our own method for adding intense color to the shells. We have been making our own egg dye for a few years now. It is an easy process that yields incredibly colorful, beautiful eggs.

Our hens are all brown egg layers. We find that beginning the egg coloring process with brown shelled eggs results in a more deeply colored egg. Pastel colors are more difficult to achieve without a white eggshell. That’s fine with me. I love the look of these rich, jewel toned eggs on our Easter table.

Before we get started adding beautiful color to the shells of our freshly gathered eggs, they need to be cooked. I have tried every method and none of them work as well for me as steaming by following the

Family Table method described by Lisa Steele on the previous two pages. It is my preferred way to prepare hard cooked eggs. It has never failed to produce beautifully cooked eggs that are easily removed from their shells.

Once our eggs have been steamed using this method, I like to cool in the ice bath for approximately ten minutes. After ten minutes, remove the eggs from the icy water and allow them to air dry on a clean kitchen towel. Once the eggs have dried, they can be dyed immediately or refrigerated overnight until you are ready to decorate them.

Gather a collection of small bowls or coffee cups to hold the colored solution.

In each cup or bowl, mix four to six ounces of warm water with a Tablespoon of vinegar and enough liquid or paste food coloring to achieve the desired color.

More food coloring will create a deeper, darker colored egg. Make sure that you are using a cup or bowl that can hold your colored liquid along with an egg. A container that is too small will overflow when you add your egg and leave you with a very colorful mess to clean up.

Gently transfer an egg to each of the cups and allow them to rest fully submerged in the colored liquid.

We usually set a kitchen timer and check the eggs in ten minute increments. When the eggs are colored to your liking, remove them to a paper towel and allow them to dry completely. Colored, dry eggs can be stored in the refrigerator for three days or until you are ready to use them.

1840 Farm

Multigrain Farmhouse Brio Story and Photos by: Jennifer Burcke from 1840 Farm

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make several types of bread for our family. My favorite bread to bake and eat is brioche. I enjoy brioche’s texture and rich flavor. I love to toast a slice of homemade brioche, knowing that the enriched dough will yield the lovely browned surface that I enjoy so much. My family enjoys it just as much as I do, so I make a batch of two loaves every week or so.

The prospect of making a traditional brioche can be daunting for the baker and taxing for the baker’s mixer.

Traditional brioche is baked from dough enriched by fresh eggs and butter. Each addition must be perfectly timed before advancing to the next step. If these steps are rushed, the dough will break apart, forming several small clumps that will resist coming back together into one congruous ball of dough. Yet care must be taken not to over mix the dough as too much mixing can ruin the airy texture that makes brioche so wonderful.

Once the eggs have been successfully integrated into the dough, butter must be added in much the same way. It is added a bit at a time, allowing the butter to fully blend with the dough. This process can take thirty minutes or more. All of this kneading puts a heavy toll on a mixer. As the dough is kneaded, the mixer must be monitored to ensure that it does not overheat or, worse yet, burn out completely. Kneading this dough for such a long time is a herculean task for a typical residential kitchen mixer.

Over the years, I have worked to develop my own brioche recipe. It delivers the same delicious flavor and airy texture without requiring so much precision from the bread baker.

In the past few months, I attempted to adapt my recipe to incorporate some of our freshly milled whole wheat flour into the recipe. I didn’t have much luck. The loaves lacked the airy texture I love. No matter how I adjusted the recipe, the resulting loaves were too dense.

It seemed that no matter how long I worked the dough using my mixer, I fell short of creating that lovely smooth characteristic that my Farmhouse Brioche always delivers.

I did finally determine that I could use my stand mixer to work the dough for several minutes and then knead the dough by hand for between 5 to 10 minutes in order to create a dough that was smooth and elastic enough to pass the windowpane test.

I had almost given up any hope of creating a multigrain brioche recipe that could be worked entirely by a mixer.

Then a WonderMix arrived for me to review and I returned to the farmhouse kitchen, hopeful that this powerful machine would have the muscle I needed to fully develop the gluten and create a loaf that was exactly what I was looking for.

oche As the dough came together, I set my kitchen timer for five minutes.

The WonderMix worked the dough without straining. When the timer sounded, I turned off the mixer and removed the dough. It was smooth and elastic, easily passing the windowpane test.

The WonderMix had delivered on its promise to fully develop the gluten in five minutes.

I have made several batches of bread since then. Each batch has been just as beautiful and delicious. From now on, I will be using the WonderMix to make this multigrain brioche and all of our other homemade breads. You can learn more about The WonderMix by reading my review. While you’re there, don’t forget to enter to win one for your kitchen.

1840 Farm Multigrain Brioche Makes two loaves 12 ounces (1 ¾ cup) warm water 21 grams (1 Tablespoon) honey 4 teaspoons active dry yeast 1 Tablespoon salt 1 Tablespoon Dough Enhancer (optional) 600 grams (5 cups) All-purpose flour 240 grams (2 cups) whole wheat flour 3 large eggs, room temperature 4 ounces (1 stick) butter, grated If you are using a dough proofer, preheat the proofer following the manufacturer’s instructions as you prepare the dough.

Whisk the warm water and honey in the bowl of a large stand mixer.

Sprinkle the yeast over the top of the liquid. Allow the yeast to rest as you prepare the remaining ingredients.

In a medium bowl, combine the salt, dough enhancer (if using), and flour.

Grate the butter and set aside. In a small bowl, whisk the eggs until smooth.

Add the eggs to the bowl with the warm water and honey. Whisk until combined.

Mount the bowl on the mixer’s base and attach the dough hook attachment. Add the dry ingredients all in one addition before turning the mixer’s motor on low speed.

Mix for a few minutes, until the dough begins to take shape. The dough will appear to be slightly dry. With the motor running, begin adding the grated butter a bit at a time, allowing the butter to be incorporated into the dough before adding more. Continue this process until all of the butter has been added.

Stop the mixer and asses the dough. It should be shiny and moist, but not excessively sticky. The ball of dough should be smooth and elastic. If it is too sticky, simply start the mixer and

gradually add up to ½ cup of All-purpose flour to the dough. Take care not to add too much flour as it will yield a finished loaf that is too dry. Increase the speed of the mixer slightly and work the dough until

it passes the windowpane approximately five to ten minutes.

test,

If you are unfamiliar with the windowpane test, the technique is quite simple but incredibly helpful when making a loaf of bread. This windowpane test will help you to determine if your dough has been kneaded sufficiently to yield a wonderful finished loaf. By using this technique, you will be certain that your homemade bread dough will produce a beautiful loaf of bread.

Conducting the windowpane test is simple. After you have kneaded the dough to the point when you think that it has been worked sufficiently, take a small ball of dough and stretch it between your fingers until it is thin and translucent, allowing light to pass through it (much like a window). If the dough stretches without breaking, it has been kneaded long enough to develop the gluten and is ready to prepare for its rise. If the dough breaks, continue kneading until it passes the test.

Once your dough passes the windowpane test, transfer the dough to a large buttered bowl to rise in a dough proofer or a warm, draft free location. Allow the

dough to rise until it has nearly doubled in size. Using my dough proofer set at 82 degrees, this takes approximately 45 to 60 minutes.

Once the dough has nearly doubled in size, divide it into two equal sections.

Form each section into a loaf and place in a buttered or oiled loaf pan. Be sure to oil the top rim of the loaf pan as this dough has a tendency to rise well above the top of the pan. Oiling the top rim of the pan will make releasing the baked loaf from the pan much easier.

Transfer the two loaves back to the proofing chamber or warm, draft free location for rising. Allow the loaves to rise until they have reached a height of more than one inch above the top edge of the loaf pans. Using my dough proofer, this takes about one 60 – 90 minutes.

As the dough nears the end of its rise, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. If you have a pizza stone, this is a great time to put it to use. I like to use stones when baking bread in order to deliver even heat to the bottom of the loaf as it bakes. I find that my loaves bake more evenly when I have the stones in the oven during preheating and baking.

Once the loaves have risen sufficiently and the oven has reached the proper temperature, transfer the loaves to the oven. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, turning near the halfway mark to ensure even browning. When the loaves are fully baked, they will be golden brown and sound hollow when tapped on the bottom. Remove the baked loaves from their pans to a wire rack. Allow them to cool completely before slicing or storing.

You can enter to win a WonderMix Kitchen Mixer!

One winner will be randomly selected on April 21, 2015.

All subscribers to In Season Magazine will be automatically entered to win.

You Visit 1840 Farm to learn how you can earn additional entries and increase your odds of winning this amazing mixer.

Beer and Brown Sugar Bra Story and Photos by: Jennifer Burcke from 1840 Farm

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f you happened to stop by our farmhouse on a Sunday afternoon, you might find that a Beer and Brown Sugar Braised Pork Roast was in the oven. This recipe is a staple for our family. It is simple to prepare, delicious to eat, and provides our family with enough shredded pork to be featured in multiple meals throughout the week, making the work of menu planning that much easier.

As the pork is cooking in the oven, it infuses the entire farmhouse with the delightful aroma of caramelized brown sugar. By the time we are ready to sit down to dinner late Sunday afternoon, we’re all clamoring for a bite. It’s rather like Thanksgiving Day when the aroma of roasting turkey has tempted you all day long with the promise of the meal ahead.

While this pork is easier to prepare than our Thanksgiving turkey, it is no less satisfying to serve at our family table.

This year, we’ll be enjoying this roast as the centerpiece of our Easter feast, served with homemade sauerkraut, herbed new potatoes, and berry pie for dessert. It will be a delicious meal and sure to be followed later in the week by a dinner of Cast Iron Skillet Pork and Potato Hash.

Don’t worry, you’ll find three of those recipes on the following pages so that you can enjoy them with your friends and family.

They’re sure to love them as much as we do!

aised Pork Roast

Beer and Brown Sugar Braised Pork Roast I like to use local pasture raised pork in this recipe which is readily available in our community. We have prepared this recipe using several cuts of pork. Each of them turned out beautifully.

Because the pork is braised at a low temperature with liquid in a covered pot, the resulting pork is tender and moist no matter the cut.

Unlike most preparations, this pork is nearly impossible to overcook.

The low temperature and ample liquid both play in its favor.

Pork shoulder (also referred to as pork butt or Boston butt), pork roast, pork loin, and pork belly are all good choices.

A pork shoulder or pork roast are my favorite. I find that they have the ideal ratio of meat to fat and yield delicious results.

4 to 5 pound boneless pork shoulder or roast Âź cup brown sugar 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon sea salt 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1 Tablespoon butter 1 teaspoon olive oil 12 ounces beer Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Position an oven rack in the lower third of the oven. In a small bowl, mix the brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, and pepper. Rub this mixture on all sides of the pork.

Heat a large Dutch oven with a tight fitting lid over medium high heat. When the pan is hot, add the butter and olive oil, swirling to coat the bottom of the pan.

Reduce the heat to medium and add the beer to the pan, deglazing and scraping up any browned bits of sugar from the bottom of the pan. Bring the beer to a simmer before covering the pan and placing it in the warm oven.

Allow the pork to cook for two hours undisturbed. The overall cooking time will vary depending upon the size and type of the cut, but I find that 2 ½ hours is the average time needed to deliver perfectly cooked pork to our table.

After the two hours have elapsed, I begin checking the roast every half hour for doneness. The pork is finished when it will easily pull apart and reaches an internal temperature of around 160 degrees. At that point, I remove the pan from the oven and allow the pork to rest in the covered pan for at least an hour.

After the hour has elapsed, I shred the meat.

I strain the cooking liquid, reserving it. I return the shredded pork to the pan and moisten it with a bit of the cooking liquid, holding it in the covered pan. It can be rewarmed over low heat if necessary before serving.

I use the reserved cooking liquid to make Cast Iron Skillet Pork and Potato Hash.

The braising liquid has a wonderful depth of flavor and can also be thickened into a pan gravy and served along with the pork or over mashed potatoes.

Add the pork to the pan and sear each side for approximately two minutes. The sugar will caramelize and add a beautiful brown color to the pork.

Classic Sauerkraut Story and Photos by: Jennifer Burcke from 1840 Farm

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enjoy the tangy flavor of sauerkraut paired with many dishes and also served on its own. For years, we have been purchasing a local kraut.

Each time we served it at our family table, I wondered if we could make a homemade version.

The process of fermentation seemed a bit daunting.

The recipes all made the technique seem so simple that I doubted it would be so easy. A few weeks ago, I finally decided to take the plunge and try it for myself.

As I searched for a foolproof recipe and advice to ensure success, I discovered

Kraut Source’s blog and innovative lid system. They were kind enough to lead me through the process of making our first batch of kraut step by step. They shared their recipe for classic sauerkraut which I adapted further to include only three ingredients: green cabbage, sea salt, and filtered water.

After a week’s time on the kitchen counter, the humble shredded cabbage my daughter and I had packed so tightly into the Mason jar had been transformed into a delicious, tangy sauerkraut. I was equally amazed at how simple it had been to make and how amazingly flavorful it was. It was so delicious that we made a second batch, doubling the recipe to ensure that we never run out of this delicious, homemade classic sauerkraut.

With gardening season fast approaching, we’ll be planting a few heirloom cabbage varieties so that we can make our own kraut using cabbage fresh from our organic garden. We hope that you’ll join in and try your hand at fermenting a batch of sauerkraut using the classic recipe adapted from Kraut Source on the following page.

Visit Kraut Source’s blog, Facebook page, and Instagram feed to learn more about the art of creating cultured and fermented foods in your kitchen.

They fill my newsfeed with a steady stream of delicious recipes and helpful tips. I know that you’ll enjoy following them as much as I do!

Classic Sauerkraut adapted from Kraut Source’s Classic Sauerkraut Recipe Lacto-fermentation takes advantage of the beneficial bacteria (including Lactobacillus) that are naturally present on the surface of fruits and vegetables including the cabbage called for in this recipe. When held at room temperature and submerged in brine, these healthy bacteria convert the natural sugars in the cabbage into lactic acid. The lactic acid will naturally preserve the kraut and inhibit the growth of harmful bacteria.

Much like canning, fermentation requires clean tools and surfaces to safeguard against potentially unsafe bacteria. Simply washing all the tools and equipment and your hands with soap and hot water before beginning the recipe is sufficient. This will ensure that you have begun the process with the clean environment necessary for successful and safe fermentation.

1 1/2 pounds (675 g) green cabbage 1 Tablespoon (15 ml) sea salt brine as needed (1 teaspoon sea salt dissolved in 1 cup cold, filtered water) Quart-size Mason jar Kraut Source Unit or Mason Jar Lid

Rinse the head of cabbage in cold water.

Quarter the cabbage, removing the core before finely shredding each quarter.

Place shredded cabbage in a large bowl.

Add the sea salt, tossing to evenly distribute. Allow the cabbage and salt to rest for 10 minutes.

Massage the sea salt vigorously into the cabbage for about 5 to 10 minutes.

Working the sea salt with the shredded cabbage will help to draw liquid out of the cabbage and begin the process of breaking down the fibrous nature of the cabbage.

If you have time, allow the massaged vegetables to rest in the bowl as the salt will draw out liquid. If you do not have time to wait, simply pack the cabbage into a quart-size, wide mouth Mason jar. Use a pounder or wooden spoon to really

press down and pack the cabbage in . The top of the cabbage should be even to the shoulder of the jar. If there isn't enough liquid to cover the cabbage by one inch, add enough brine to cover.

Secure your Kraut Source unit or lid on the jar. Take care not to tighten the lid too tightly. As the cabbage ferments, carbon dioxide will be released. If the carbon dioxide is not allowed to safely escape the jar, it can cause the jar to break or the lid to be forced off of the jar.

The innovative Kraut Source unit contains a spring and a press to hold the cabbage underneath the surface of the liquid while allowing the carbon dioxide to escape. If you are using a standard lid, a piece of the cabbage’s core or a small weight can be used to keep the sliced cabbage below the liquid .

The lid can be removed every few days and replaced to adequately vent the excess carbon dioxide.

During fermentation, the cabbage must be completely submerged in the liquid to prevent spoilage. Additional brine can be added as needed to completely cover the submerged cabbage.

Allow the kraut to ferment at room temperature for 5-7 days or several weeks to develop the desired flavor. After 5 days, begin tasting the kraut every few days to determine if the flavor is to your liking.

When the taste is agreeable, transfer the kraut to the refrigerator. Any weight or cabbage core used to keep the kraut submerged can be removed at this point.

Photo by: Cultured Gourmet

Cast Iron Skillet Pork and Story and Photos by: Jennifer Burcke from 1840 Farm

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hen we sit down at our farmhouse table to enjoy a meal featuring Beer and Brown Sugar Braised Pork, I can count on someone to ask if there will be enough pork to make Cast Iron Skillet Pork and Potato Hash for dinner the following evening. I have come to

expect that question, so I always buy a cut of pork that is large enough to ensure that there will be plenty of pork to make this hash.

Leftovers often get a bad rap, but this preparation can change that with the first bite. This hash is a star main dish in its own right. It is delicious, comforting, and full of flavor. Leftovers never had it so good.

This is one of those recipes that welcomes interpretation and substitution. You can add other vegetables to the mix or substitute another cut of meat you have on hand. No matter the ingredients, the results are always delicious.

Potato Hash

1840 Farm

Cast Iron Skillet Pork and Potato Hash This recipe makes use of one of my favorite pans: a cast iron skillet. I like to use my Lodge 12 inch cast iron skillet when preparing this hash. If your skillet is smaller, you can reduce the proportions to fit your pan. I love to use the reserved cooking liquid from the Beer and Brown Sugar Braised Pork Roast, but an equal amount of bone broth or a good quality stock can be used.

1 Tablespoon butter 1 large onion, diced 3 cloves garlic, minced 2 ½ pounds potatoes, washed and cut into ½ inch cubes Ÿ teaspoon dried thyme 12 ounces reserved cooking liquid or bone broth 8 ounces shredded pork 2 ounces heavy cream salt and pepper to taste 2 ounces smoked cheddar, grated

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Position an oven rack in the middle of the oven.

Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Add the butter to the hot pan and swirl to coat the bottom surface. Add the onion and cook until almost translucent, about five minutes. Add the garlic and cook one minute before adding the potatoes to the pan, stirring to combine.

Add the thyme and reserved cooking liquid or bone broth to the pan. Bring the liquid to a simmer. Cover the pan and reduce the heat to low. Cook for 10 minutes undisturbed.

Remove the cover and stir the mixture.

The potatoes should have begun to soften and absorbed some of the liquid. Add the heavy cream to the pan and stir to combine. Taste for seasoning, adding salt and pepper to taste. Press the mixture firmly into the pan and top with the grated cheddar. Transfer the skillet to the warm oven.

Cook the hash for ten minutes. Check the potatoes for doneness before turning on the broiler. Broil for two minutes to brown the top surface of the hash.

Remove from the oven and serve hot.

In Season Magazine is a quarterly publication that celebrates the promise of living well and enjoying the adventure of each distinct season.

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Old Fashioned Dixie Recipes Story and Photos by: Brittany May from Happy Days Farm

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e love collecting antiques, and one thing in particular that Penny has collected through the years are wonderful wooden cookbooks. We have tried some of the recipes from them several times, and they have become our favorites. This raisin sauce, for example, has become a staple for Christmas Eve and Easter. We absolutely love the way it tastes on ham, and it is so simple to make.

1 Cup Raisins 1 Cup Water 5 Whole Cloves 3/4 Cup Brown Sugar 1 teaspoon Cornstarch 1/4 teaspoon Salt Pinch of Pepper 1 Tablespoon Butter 1 Tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar 1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire Cover the raisins with water. Add cloves, bring to boil, then let simmer for 10 minutes.

Remove the cloves.

Mix together sugar, cornstarch, salt, and pepper in bowl, then add to the raisin mixture.

Stir this mixture until thickened. You may need to bring it to a boil to get it thickened.

Add the butter, vinegar, and Worcestershire. Stir to combine. I transfer the sauce to a gravy boat and set it on the table to pour over ham.

Raisin Sauce

Spring Chick Pops Story and Photos by: Brandy Nelson from Gluesticks

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uby’s preschool class was learning about birds last week which was perfect for this time of year! These cute spring chick pops were fun to make and she was so excited to bring them in to share with her 6 little friends.

To secure the lollipop stick, open up an Oreo. Melt a bag of yellow melting chocolates and dip the lollipop stick in the chocolate (or add a small dab onto the cream part of the cookie) and place stick in the center and sandwich the cookie back together.

Allow to set.

Once the chocolate hardens, the lollipop stick will be secure and won’t slide around.

Spread or dip the Oreos with the chocolate. Then set on a flat surface, lined with waxed paper and decorate them before they harden.

The eyes are round sprinkles (found in the baking aisle) and we used Reese’s Pieces of the wings and feet, and one cut in half for the beak. Super easy! The hardest part was spreading the chocolate evenly since we had a hard time getting good coverage while dipping. I love these ones that Ruby decorated. She did a great job!

These would be fun to serve at any springtime party. Maybe a baby shower? Cute!

Basic Duckling Care Basic Rabbit Care Raising Baby Goats

Photo by: Whimsical Years Photography

Basic Duckling Care - Raising H Story and Photos by: Lisa Steele from Fresh Eggs Daily

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ongratulations! So you have decided to raise some ducklings! If you have brooded chicks before, you will find that it's basically the same. In fact, my very first batch of chicks included two ducklings that we raised in the brooder box along with the chicks and all thrived and grew up to be happy and healthy. But in addition to the fact that ducklings grow much faster than chicks, there are also a few other differences between brooding ducklings and chicks.

QUICK DUCKLING CHECKLIST Here's what you will need to assemble before your ducklings arrive: Brooder - either homemade or store bought (I've found a spare bathtub works best) Heat Lamp with Two Red Bulbs or Brinsea Eco-Glow Starter Feed (Non-Medicated chick starter is fine) Brewer's Yeast Raw Oats Small Shallow Dishes or Ramekins for Feed and Water Sugar Chick-sized Grit (or provide clumps of grass/dirt) Rubber Shelf Liner/Newspaper

Healthy, Happy Ducks Brooding Area Ducklings make a mess. They will play in their water and splash it all over the brooder. They take great delight in emptying their feeders all over the ground, although they don't scratch the feed out of dishes like chicks do. But basically, if they can play in something, they will. I have found that brooding ducklings in a bathtub is the most practical and the easiest to keep clean.

If you don't have a spare bathtub, an empty horse trough or plastic storage tote also works, but ducklings grow fast so be prepared to provide them with larger accommodations in no time.

Ducklings can't fly so they won't get out of a bathtub, even once they grow larger, and a securely shut bathroom door will keep them safe from curious kids, cats and dogs. Since the floor of the tub will get very slippery when it gets wet, I put down a sheet of rubber shelf liner over a few layers of newspaper so the ducklings don't slip. If ducklings are brooded on a slippery surface such as plastic, newspaper or cardboard, they can end up with Spraddle Leg.

ducklings seem to like to snuggle up with it. You can also make herb-filled sachets for the ducklings to sleep on which imparts nice health benefits to the growing ducklings.

After the first few days, you can add a layer of chopped straw or pine chips (never use cedar, they can be toxic and the oils can cause respiratory issues) on top of the shelf liner. Don't ever use sand in your brooder. The ducklings will eat it and not only risk impacted crop but end up eating sand-covered poop at the same time, something you definitely don't want. If you use shavings, be sure they are larger 'chip-size' so the ducklings won't try to eat them or choke on them.

Easy DIY Brooder Box

DIY Brooder Box Sachets The rubber mat makes a nice surface for them to grip for the first few days and with a few clumps of grass and dirt, they feel right at home. You can also put a small stuffed animal, rice-filled eye pillow or other bean bag-type item. The

Converting a Dog House to a Duck House

Heat

Water

A well-secured heat lamp will be necessary to keep the ducklings warm, no matter where you decide to raise them. A red light stresses ducklings less than a white light will. You ducklings should be brooded, staring at 90 degrees the first day, and then you can lower the temperature 7 degrees per week (one degree/day) until they are feathered out and ready to go outside.

Ducks need to keep the membranes in their nostrils moist at all times, so as they grow they will need deeper water bowls so they can submerge their entire bill. A traditional Mason jar chicken waterer won't work well for ducklings.

The design is too unstable and tips over too easily when you have rambunctious, clumsy ducklings nearby. Instead I use shallow flat bottom bowls or dishes and switch them out for larger ones as the ducklings grow.

Rule of Thumb Temperature Chart 1st week 90 - 84 F 2nd week 83 - 77 F 3rd week 76 - 70 F 4th week 69 - 63 F 5th week 62 - 56 F 6th week 55 F (At six weeks old, they should be fully feathered and ready to move outside unless it's extremely cold where you live.)

NOTE: The same as with chicks, be sure to watch your ducklings to be sure they are comfortable. If they are huddled under the lamp, they are cold, if they are panting or at the far side of their brooder area, then they are too warm.

The Brinsea EcoGlow also works great for ducklings. They can go underneath when they get cold and then pop back out to play and eat. It is adjustable so you can raise the height as the ducklings grow.

I put their water dish at the drain end of the bathtub, so all the water they splash o u t j u s t g oe s r i g h t dow n t h e drain.

Ducklings can drown or get chilled if they sit in the water, so be sure to add some marbles or small stones to the water dish for the first few days.

Room temperature water should always be available to them (sugar water at a ratio of 1/3 cup of sugar per gallon of water can be given for the first few days). At one week old, a duckling will drink about half a gallon of water a week. By the time they are 7 weeks old, they will need almost a half-gallon of water a DAY. Ducklings drink more than three times as much water as chicks, so be sure and check several times a day that they have clean fresh water. I add a splash of apple cider vinegar to the duckling’s water after the first couple of days as a health booster.

FOOD Ducklings should only be fed UNMEDICATED feed. They eat more feed per ounce of body weight than chicks, aren't as susceptible to coccidiosis anyway and can easily over-medicate themselves, so only UN-medicated feed should be fed.

You can feed ducklings regular chick starter feed but since they require more niacin than chicks do, to help with bone growth especially in their legs, you will need to add brewer’s yeast to the feed (at a ratio of 5% or roughly 1/2 lb. (3 cups) brewer’s yeast per 10 pounds of feed). I use Thomas Labs Brewer's Yeast & Garlic Powder and just sprinkle a bit over the top of their feed a few times a day. This mix gives them the niacin they need plus diatomaceous earth and garlic which both have benefits to growing ducklings.

The ducklings should start on chick feed (20% protein) for the first 2 weeks, then can switch to a waterfowl starter or starter/grower (15-16% protein) until they are 18 weeks old or so and then switch right over to a regular (16% protein) layer feed - or waterfowl feed if you can find it in your area.

You can also add raw uncooked oats to their feed working up to about a 25% oat/75% feed ratio. This can help avoid a condition called 'Angel Wing' which is caused by too much protein in a growing duckling's diet.

Treats such as lettuce, grass, herbs, weeds, and dandelion greens are all excellent sources of nutrients but

ducklings will only eat greens if they are fresh. Wilted and trampled greens will be ignored. I find that a handful of greens put into a small dish of water becomes a great way to amuse the ducklings and they gobble the greens up. You can also toss some peas into a tub of water. Anything green will be a huge hit with ducklings (and ducks!)

Ducklings in general are very hardy but on occasion you may have one with problems. Vitamin treatment combined with massage is often successfully used to 'cure' an afflicted duckling.

Warm oatmeal and scrambled eggs are also a favorite treat, as is cracked corn.

Coarse sand or chick-sized grit needs to be available to the ducklings at all times to help them grind their food.

I have found ducklings to be more picky about treats than chicks, but anything green, worms, cooked spaghetti, watermelon, corn and halved grapes all seem to be favorites. I slowly introduce them to new foods, a little at a time, being sure that the starter feed makes up the majority of their diet. I chop up all kinds of herbs and edible flowers for my ducklings as well. Herbs and flowers are incredibly nutritious and if the ducklings develop a 'taste' for them early on, they are more likely to continue to eat them as they grow and get older.

Swimming Privileges

Time Outdoors

Ducklings can swim at about a week old, but they haven't yet developed the oil on their feathers, so until they are about a month old, swims should be short and supervised or the ducklings can actually get waterlogged and drown.

Drowning is the number one cause of fatalities in backyard ducklings. I let my ducklings swim around in a rubber dish tub for a few minutes at a time and then dry them off carefully with a towel before returning them to the brooder.

By the time the ducklings are 3-5 weeks old, weather dependent, they can be outside for short periods of time on nice sunny days with adequate protection from predators, the sun and rain.

Proper precautions should be taken at all times the ducklings are outdoors as they are clumsy and not able to move very quickly, so they are easy prey for a variety of predators.

By the time they are a few weeks, old, ducklings can have access to a cake pan in their brooder for water and will begin to take short baths in it and by 5-6 weeks, they will be able to swim on their own.

By 7-9 weeks, the ducklings should be fully feathered and able to be outdoors permanently as long as the temperatures don't drop below 50 degrees at night. Straw makes a nice choice for bedding. Ducks don't perch on roosts like chicks, they just settle on the floor in the straw.

If you are introducing the ducklings into a run where there are chickens or other ducks, you should keep them in a small pen inside the run for a week or two so the two groups can get used to each other, just as you would do with pullets.

Ducks, once they are fully feathered, can withstand much cooler temperatures than chickens and actually prefer to sleep outside in the elements year round in most locations.

My ducks have a predator-proof small run attached to their house so they can access it at night. They like to sleep under the stars.

Basic Rabbit Care Story and Photos by: Jennifer Sartell from Iron Oak Farm

W

hen I first met Emmet our Holland Lop bunny, I fell in love instantly...it’s those ears! He is one of the sweetest bunnies I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing. He is very cuddly, calm and sociable. He loves to explore, and is quite curious even of our Golden Retriever, Oliver. They are pals!

Rabbits are one of the easiest pets to care for. They make great companions and are quite intelligent. They can be potty trained and will come when called. Indoor pet rabbits live on average about 8 years.

With a little care and some love you can raise a happy healthy rabbit for many years.

FOOD Rabbits need a few things in their diet to help keep them healthy. The first thing is a pelleted rabbit chow designed specifically for rabbits. We feed a Show Quality brand by Manna Pro. It includes yucca extract and papaya extract to help healthy digestion and to aid in dissolving hair balls.

Rabbits also need hay to balance the digestive system. Timothy hay is an excellent choice for rabbits. Feed hay to your rabbit free choice.

Rabbits also enjoy fresh greens. They are a healthy source of fiber, vitamins and minerals. Limit the amount of greens you give your bunny at one time. Too much can cause diarrhea and other intestinal problems. Start out with a very small

amount and slowly increase if the bunny seems to be handling that amount well.

Always wash vegetables before giving them to your rabbit to remove pesticides if grown conventionally.

Emmet enjoys fresh herbs and grass that I grow for him in a windowsill pot. He also enjoys papaya on a regular basis. I buy a large papaya and cut it up into small cubes. I freeze 7 cubes in Ziploc baggies.

Then I thaw out a bag each week. This gives him a cube a day.

Rabbits also enjoy treats on occasion. I recently tried seed treat sticks. Pet stores also sell flavored yogurt bites. Just remember these are treats and should only be fed on occasion. Emmet only gets

a treat like this once a week when I clean his cage.

WATER

DAILY EXERCISE

Rabbits need access to fresh, clean water at all times. Water dishes should be washed out daily. If you use a side mounted water bottle, always be sure that the nipple function is working properly and make sure your rabbit understands how to use one. Emmet was raised with a water dish (which I prefer) and hadn’t been taught to use a water bottle.

A rabbit’s cage should only be a temporary home where he feels safe.

Rabbits should not be confined to a cage day in and day out. Emmet enjoys time out of his cage to cuddle and interact with us. He’s a very social bunny.

CAGE Your rabbit’s cage should be large enough for the rabbit to stretch out fully lengthwise and tall enough for him to stand up completely. If you choose to use a wire bottom cage then you should provide a mat or a piece of wood for the rabbit to rest his feet on. A rabbit can develop foot problems from standing on a wire bottom cage.

Rabbits also enjoy a cave type area where they can scurry away and feel safe. A large terra cotta pot laid on its side works very well, or you can make a wooden den. Pet stores usually sell plastic dens as well. Make sure all wood is untreated wood.

BEDDING The best bedding material I’ve found is dehydrated pine pellets. It’s super absorbent and the fresh pine scent lends a fresh, clean scent. Bedding should be changed at least once a week, or more often if there is an odor. Rabbit droppings make excellent compost!

In addition to this time he gets 2 hours of exercise daily in our spare bathroom.

It’s a safe room because there aren’t any cords for him to chew or toxic houseplants. I give him his litter pan, toys and water and he enjoys digging at the tiles, moving his toys around, hopping and jumping and stretching out on the bath rug.

POTT Y TRAINING Rabbits can be potty trained. When starting with a young bunny he will instinctively start going potty in a corner of his cage. Always arrange the cage in the same manner so he gets used to his potty corner. When the corner seems to be used consistently, place a litter pan in the same corner.

Potty training a rabbit can help keep the cage clean and will allow your rabbit to spend more time outside his cage without worrying that he’ll have accidents on the floor.

TOOTH CARE Rabbit’s teeth continue to grow so they need something to grind their teeth down. A piece of untreated hard wood usually does the trick.

Emmett’s Favorite Fresh Treats 

Flat leaf parsley



Carrot tops



Dandelion greens



Buttercrunch lettuce



Spinach and kale (only once a week as too much can cause problems)

Foods to Avoid Sharing with Your Rabbit 

Iceberg lettuce

(contains too much water and can cause diarrhea) 

Corn



Peas



Mint



Potatoes (root and plant)



Tomatoes (fruit and plant)



Nuts



Plants in the onion and garlic family Limit all starchy vegetables and high sugar fruits.

Nail Care Rabbits also need their nails trimmed about every 2-3 weeks. I prefer the scissor style nail clipper. Only trim the clear part of the nail. The dark opaque part is the quick and if you snip this the rabbit will bleed which can be very painful.

Grooming Most rabbits don’t need grooming help from humans. They are an exceptionally clean animal and groom themselves regularly.

However, fiber rabbits like Angoras should be brushed daily. Mats should be combed or trimmed out. Angora rabbits can be sheared every 4 months.

Do not bathe your rabbit in water.

Toys Rabbits enjoy toys. Emmet loves paper towel tubes, small stuffed toys and his bell that jingles. He likes to move them around his cage and play area.

Photo by: 1840 Farm

Raising Goat Kids Story and Photos by: Katy Light from Poppy Creek Farm

B

aby goats are one of the most delightful side-benefits of homesteading. I call them a side -benefit because the main reason that homesteaders decide to get goats is because they want milk for their family and all the other amazing things that milk makes: ice cream, butter, yogurt, kefir, and cheese.... yum. There’s nothing like it, fresh from the goat warm or chilled to perfection, depending on your taste.

walking-trash-disposal-spaniel even once refused to drink some I had rejected.

Perhaps the ongoing concern about hormones and antibiotics in milk is causing concern, or perhaps you just want the added benefits of goat milk without the nasty, nasty taste of the store bought stuff. In my opinion, it’s like bottled buck-stink, and famously, my

One of the big questions that arise once the babies are on the ground is, “how do I raise them?” You basically have three options: dam-raised, bottle-raised or dual care. Each has its benefits and drawbacks, and really what it comes down to is what suits your situation best.

But back to baby goats. The reason they’re a side-benefit is because in order to have milk, you have to have babies!

They’re cute, funny, adorable, bouncy and just all-round fun! You get to keep additional does to add to your milkmaking herd, or sell them for a little extra farm funds to other homesteaders looking to have their own home-raised milk.

Dam R aising This involves leaving the babies on the mama goat to raise. If you are short on time and unable to provide a baby with a bottle every 4-6 hours, then this might be the best option for you. You won’t have to milk the doe to feed the milk back to the baby every few hours, and you know that the milk is always available to the baby, on-demand, at the perfect temperature. There’s a lot to be said for this method - it’s as God intended!

catch, and less fond of their people. I have a dam-raised doe who routinely used to run from me and then try to kick me in the head on the milk stand. When you’re dealing with this twice a day for a year or more, it’s no fun at all. Over time she has warmed to me and no longer does this, but it has taken years. 

This extends to routine care: feet trimming, vaccines, shaving during summer, kidding clips, etc. When you compare them to bottle babies, they’re just so much harder.



If babies are sold for show, to either adults or 4Hers, dam-raised babies are often less compliant in the show ring.

However, I do not generally use this method because there are a few drawbacks that I find significant: 

If there is one baby, or sometimes even with two, the babies will nurse unevenly on the udder, causing it to become unbalanced. If the doe is to be shown, this will be a problem, and could lead to a lifetime of unevenness which may or may not correct with subsequent freshenings.



In the case of triplets or quads, you may end up having to pull one of more babies anyway as Mama may not be able to cope with nursing all of them.



Babies will be significantly different to those which are bottle raised.

They’re usually more wild, harder to

Bottle R aising

Dual Care

This is a high-maintenance way to raise babies, as you have to be available to give them a bottle every 4-6 hours but, in my opinion, it gives the nicest, most compliant babies. They are wellhandled, used to people, and affectionate.

This is where you leave the momma with the baby, and ensure that she is feeding it, but you offer the first feeding of colostrum in a bottle, and usually one or two bottles a day thereafter. This combines many of the advantages of bottle raising - the kids are friendly and well-handled - with the huge advantage that you don’t have to get up in the night to feed kids or find someone to give them a midday bottle if you’re at work (or end up taking them to work with you!) because they can snack on mama.

The down side? Well, if you have bought the babies as bottle babies and are feeding them something other than goat milk, purchasing the Vitamin D whole milk from the store can get pricey. For various reasons, I do not recommend milk replacer.

The only other disadvantage I can think of is that the babies can be excessively friendly, bordering annoying! I have one doe who was rejected by her mother, so I bottle raised her. She now hates to have to go out to the pasture with the others and prefers to hang in the yard where she can intercept me as I go about my daily business, and can occasionally be found in my laundry room, tipping over cat food and banging on the kitchen door for affection.

However, this is still my baby-raising method of choice, and it works well for me. People like my animals because they are easy and sweet and the ones I keep are a joy to handle. If you do decide to bottle raise, just bear in mind that you need to ensure the kids have appropriate socialization. Don’t be tempted to purchase just one bottle kid - you’ll have a screaming mess on your hands before you know it. Always purchase in minimums of pairs, and if you can’t afford two does, get a wether as a second to keep your doe happy.

However you decide to raise your goats, proper worming and coccidia prevention is crucial, or the babies will not grow to their maximum potential. Coccidia especially, when left untreated, can cause such extensive internal intestinal damage that the kids never recover and, if they even survive, grow to be unthrifty, ragged-looking, sickly adults.

But with proper care and raising, you’ll find your new goats to be entertaining, affectionate, productive members of your family - congratulations! You’ll be enjoying them for many, many years to come.

Little Chicken Bean Bags Folding a Napkin Rose

Photo by: 1840 Farm

Little Chicken Bean Bags Story and Photos by: Brandy Nelson from Gluesticks

R

uby loves chickens. For some reason there are chickens all over the place in Yuba City.

Especially in certain intersections and parking lots. Every time we go to Toys R Us or Winco we see chickens walking by our truck. She loves that. Her favorite song is “The Chicken

Dance.” There aren’t any words, but she loves the actions and dance. I thought it would be fun to make her a chicken softie, but fell in love with this chicken bean bag instead. She loves it too. Her little chicken goes everywhere with us.

Grocery shopping, church, on her tricycle, and in her bed. Since these bags take about 10 minutes to make, I decided to make a few more.

The sewing inspiration came from Anjie’s Blog. Red Ted Art saw the original and created some photo instructions. Ours are slightly larger than the original and since neither one came with a printable pattern, I quickly drew one to make it easier to keep them uniform.

You can download it Little Chicken Bean Bag PDF

here:

1: Basically, you just lay out the pattern pieces in the upper right corner of the long rectangle of fabric.

2: Bring the bottom of the fabric to the top with the fold along the bottom. Pin to keep beak and details in place. Stitch top and right side, leaving left side open.

3: Turn right side out. Add an eye. You can hand sew this or use a sharpie pen like we did, very gently so that it doesn’t bleed.

4: Fill 1/3 with fiber fill and 1/3 with rice or small beans. Leave the rest open to allow room to close the bottom.

5: To turn your bean bag into a pyramid shaped one vs. a flat square, line up your seams so that the side seam lies flat as the back of the chicken. The front seam where the beak is and the back seam will line up and it will turn into the pyramid shape. Turn under raw edges and pin closed.

Hand stitch to close.

I’m thinking that this little pattern would make a great base for so many fun animal bean bags! A puppy, a cat, or even a pig.

Can you think of any others? What a fun little party favor or stocking stuffer, or homemade birthday gift!

Making a Napkin Rose Instructions and Photos by: Brittany May from Happy Days Farm

Here is a neat little tutorial on how to turn an ordinary napkin into something special for your table. Click on the photo collage to watch a video of each step! Enjoy!

Photo by: Happy Days Farm

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