I'm trying to gauge the level of interest in hosting a poultry processing workshop here at the farm; I've had success with 'Chicken Raising 101' workshops here.  So if you have any desire to learn how to process your own poultry on a small scale (50 birds at a time or less), please take this short survey.  If there're enough folks who want to learn, I'll start hosting chicken harvesting workshops in December 2012 or Spring 2013.  Whether I hold classes for other types of poultry will depending on the survey results (and, of course, prices will vary with the type of birds we process).

Take the survey here:
www.surveymonkey.com/s/XC5DFC2/

The basic idea is this:

I figure a class size of between 4-7 people at $25 per person is reasonable. A small group allows everyone to see what's going on and I can do hands-on for that number by myself.

1. I give an overview of what we plan to accomplish and use a couple of diagrams to show students how we plan to do it.

2. I process one bird from beginning to end so students can see how the entire operation moves from one step to another fluidly.

3. Then the students get their birds and I walk everyone through the steps again while they do the processing themselves.

4. Once all the birds are harvested and packaged we have lunch which includes the bird I processed in the beginning of the class (I'll have a trusty assistant cooking that up while we're doing the hands-on part).

5. Then the students collect the bird they processed and take it home.


If that sounds interesting, take the survey and let me know!

Sharpsburg, Maryland is a picturesque landscape of rolling hills and farmland with a very charming and nostalgic downtown that looks like it was lifted directly from a snapshot of the 1800's.  The town is near the West Virginia and Pennsylvania borders, tucked in beside the Antietam Battlefield and Historic Harper’s Ferry; it's a rather beautiful and bucolic 2 1/2 hour drive from my tiny farm in Southern Maryland.

Speaking of charming, this swap is hosted at Green Hill Farm by Erin Moshier, a delightfully sunny gal with an infectious smile.  Twice each year (summer and fall) she hosts a fun poultry swap at her family farm just minutes from the center of downtown Sharpsburg.  But once you turn down that gravel road leading to the poultry barn and the horse stables where curious pony's whinny hello's over the fence, you feel miles and miles from anything but the countryside.

My MooseHerders and I arrived early in the morning with a modest selection of ducks, chickens and geese and quickly put up our canopy, table and portable poultry pen.  The feathered flock was soon nibbling on Erin's pasture and getting rehydrated after a long car ride.  Folks were milling about prior to the 8am "selling start time" and were very curious about what poultry or farm related product each vendor was preparing to sell out of that day.

I had 2 extra Holderread Penciled Indian Runner boys from my spring order I was preparing to sell.  Those birds were as nervous as ever and abjectly refused to stand at ease; they chose instead to peer nervously at their growing audience and sort of dance from foot to foot like a 5 year old who needs to use the potty.  The young Sebstapol goose was taking everything in stride (I could have sold him 10 times over!), and my affable juvenile Welsh Harlequin was attempting to charm the chickens into being his pals for the day (since he was raised by a chicken mama and didn't know he was a duck) and those Marans cockerels were not having any of it.  All in all it was shaping up to be an interesting day at my booth.

Browsers stopped by to ask over and over again what the heck kind of birds those Penciled Indian Runners were ("are those some kind of goose?")  and before too long a somber and truly gentlemanly young man hailing from West-By-God-Virginia quietly asked me if I'd be willing to sell him those lovely Runner ducks (he said it just like that).  I was more than happy to negotiate a price for that gracious, young aspiring farmer and help him carry his new waterfowl to his car.  Such a peach, I wish him well.

Tons of folks stopped by to chat with me at length, get advice about waterfowl, and tell me about their own flock. I gave out many business cards and collected a few as well.  What a great place to network!  There was so much to see and hear at the swap:  Craftsman selling poultry housing and nesting equipment, crafty-crafter ladies peddling so many wonderful handhewn wares, local feed stores, chicken farmers, duck farmers, guinea keets, peacocks, muscovy, turkeys, pheasants, chukar, bunnies, goats, and pigs (ADORABLE)... I even saw guinea pigs! 

And - holy moly - Someone had the nerve to bring some gorgeous German Shorthair puppies... O My GOODNESS!  Those hounds were absolutely snugglicious!  I barely contained myself at that booth.  I reminded my hard farmrgirl heart that hunting dogs and ducks were not the best bedfellows. *sigh*

We had such a good time at the swap!  There was live music and great giveaways.  I bought a few things, sold a few things and met a bunch of interesting and fun folks.  You just never know who you might make a good friend out of until you go to one of these events!  For the upcoming spring/summer swap I'll be loaded up with hatching eggs, eating eggs, baby ducks, geese and chickens to sell in the early summer at Erin's next poultry swap... this event is too good to pass up!  I hope you'll join us all next year - especially at the early market when all those spring hatches will be ready. 

For more information or to be added to her mailing list, Erin's blog can be found here: http://mdpoultryswap.blogspot.com/. 

Don't forget: When you're in the area be sure to have lunch in one of the local establishments.  We did (twice - once in Boonsboro) and were NOT disappointed mmmmm... good!

I belong to a CSA fruit share provided by AzureB llc.  I get all sorts of yummy organic tropical fruit, loads of avocados and sometimes a strange looking item that I've never tried.  In my August share I received the most amazing (and weird) item of all time: Monstera Deliciosa.

Wikepidia describes it thus:

a creeping vine native to tropical rainforests of southern Mexico south to Colombia... [with] fruit up to 10 inches long and 1.5 inches in diameter, looking like a green ear of maize covered with hexagonal scales.

The daggone thing came with instructions rubberbanded around it's middle.  These pictographs advised me to place the fruit into a drinking glass and leave it out on my counter for several days.  Once the scales of this dinosaur looking oddity began to drop off, I would know that the fruit was ready to be devoured. 

I'm game!

I did as I was instructed and I've recorded the entire 5-day event for you straight from my kitchen:

I'm not afraid to tell you that when I cut into this crazy corn-on-the-cob-from-another-planet I was guessing that it would absolutely NOT be delicious but instead slimy and oversweet.  But what's the harm in tasting it, right?

OK... this thing was so very, very delicious! mmmmmmmm....  It was mild, it was not slimy, the distinct kernels were approximately as crunchy as overcooked corn. The flavor was a mild pineapple meets a white grape. Not unlike lichee.  It was sweet, but not too.  Overall, I thought this would be an excellent addition to any summer brunch and would pair wonderfully with white wine and cheese. 

100% Moose approved - I highly recommend it.