Blog Publishing Migration to FeedBlitz

Just a quick note to let everyone know I'm in the process of migrating the My Edible Yard Urban Homestead blog over to FeedBlitz for email subscription and RSS feed publishing. I've noticed problems with Feedburner's service ever since Google took over. For those of you subscribing to the blog via email, you have probably noticed that emails of posts with images are being sent out as a jumbled mess. This is now fixed. Those of you subscribing via RSS feeder probably haven't noticed a thing, but on the management end the RSS feed counts (the number of people subscribing via RSS readers) are chaotically erratic. One day there could be 130 subscribers, the next 39. Feedburner posts this as a known issue, but they don't seem to be doing anything to fix it. Erratic counts have been an issue for over 6 months. And there is absolutely no technical support offered.

So far, the migration has gone well. As of yesterday evening, the email subscriptions are being handled by FeedBlitz and we've already got a new email subscriber. Welcome Janice! I've not yet attempted to migrate the RSS feed publishing because it makes me a little nervous. I'm not 100% techno-savvy, so I want to be sure I completely understand the process before attempting the switch. I'll keep you updated.

Keep in mind that FeedBlitz is a paid publishing service. If you are making purchases for your garden or urban homestead, try to make them through My Edible Yard's Amazon Store. It doesn't cost you a thing and it helps me pay for the better publishing service.

If you notice any problems with the email or RSS post feeds, please let me know so I can get them fixed quickly.

Thanks for your help, advice, comments, and continued readership. And a special thanks go out to whoever it was that nominated and voted for the My Edible Yard Urban Homestead blog in the 2010 Top Gardening Blog Awards. We made it into the top 40. I'm honored and humbled. Thank you.

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I Missed One

It turns out that both Peninah and Avigal laid their first egg on June 26th, 2010 and what I described as Shoshanah's egg was really Peninah's very first. I hope she accepts the apologies I extended to her today when I realized what had happened, because she certainly didn't receive the same first-egg fanfare that the other girls have received. I can tell at this point whose egg is whose by the shape and color, especially since we got 4 eggs today. So happy second egg to my beautiful Peninah.

Left-Right: Peninah, Avigal, Ilana, Shoshanah

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Only 1 egg ....

Only 1 egg was laid yesterday and I think it's the heat. Been in the 90s too long and these chickens don't like it any better than us humans. I ordered a portable water mister to try and cool the girls down and I'm putting ice in their waterers in an attempt to bring down their core body temperature, too. I'm going to look around for an old patio umbrella to see if I can make another shade spot in the yard for them.

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Kitchen Gadgets

I've never been one for kitchen gadgets. It took me years to buy a microwave after they came out, and it was long past the time of the original take-up-half-the-counter size microwaves. It's small and compact, and has a spinning turntable mechanism in it. I think I got it on sale for $99. And I hardly use it. I might once a month heat up a cold cup of coffee in it or use it to melt some butter for a recipe because I don't feel like dirtying a pot, but, in general, it sits in its cabinet not getting much use. It is nice for setting things on. I have a toaster, too. This gadget I like. I got it 20-25 years ago from a friend. Yes, it was used and beat up from the beginning, and I see no sense in replacing it because it still works.

Off and on, maybe once every couple of years, I find that I get this insatiable urge to buy a kitchen gadget. It's always a spur of the moment decision. And it's almost always a decision I regret because I'll use the gadget once or twice and that will be it. It just takes up space in a cabinet or closet somewhere in our already cluttered  house. Like the breadmaker I bought one year. Actually, I bought 3 of them--2 to give away as Christmas gifts: One for my mother-in-law, one for my aunt-in-law, and one for me. They were on sale, of course. I used mine once and discovered quite quickly that I like the process of making bread from scratch--it's something about the kneading and rising process and going into what I call the "bread zone." The breadmaker just didn't do it for me. It bypassed my "bread zone." So it sat for several years gathering dust on a shelf in my pantry before I gave it away on FreeCycle to a nice young woman, a new mother with an adorable baby in the back seat of her car, who thought she needed it, too. After cooing at the baby, I handed her the bread maker and gave her an uninvited motherly lecture, explaining that she didn't really need it and that I had enclosed in the box an easy bread recipe that she should try to make on her own. I promised her it wouldn't fail. I wonder if she ever tried it? Anyway, my bread machine gifts didn't prove to be worthwhile either as my mother-in-law uses hers as a footstool in the living room (bread maker still in the unopened box), though she did ask if I minded, and my guess is that my aunt-in-law does something similar with hers, as I've never once seen it in the house when visiting. But it doesn't bother me. In fact, I totally understand.

And, of course, there are the 2 mainstays in my kitchen that I've had for years and would never give up:  My KitchenAid mixer and Cuisinart food processor. They may not get used regularly, but when I need them, I need them. And they always work. Who wants to whip egg whites by hand or grate 10 pounds of potatoes on a box grater?

About 6 years ago, I received a new kitchen gadget as a Hanukkah gift from my sister, Cori. A cute little red Rival 3-cup rice cooker, just the right size for Mickey and me. When I opened the box, I have to admit, I thought, "What the heck am I going to do with this thing?" "I know how to cook rice on top of the stove." So I opened it, took a peek and called Cori to thank her for her thoughtful gift. And then I put it on a shelf in the pantry.

Fast forward 3 years. I'm trying to make the shift from white rice to brown rice for health and taste reasons. While I consider myself a better-than-average cook, for the life of me, I can't make brown rice on the stove. White rice is easy. Bring the salted water to a boil, pour in the rice, turn the temperature down to low, plop the lid on the pot, and 18 minutes later I've got perfect fluffy white rice. Not so for brown rice. I almost always end up with watery undercooked rice. I've forgotten that I have a brand new rice cooker gathering dust in the pantry and I'm complaining to Cori on the phone that I can't make brown rice to save my life, when she says in a disbelieving tone, "Have you tried using the rice cooker I gave you?" Well, of course I haven't. I totally forgot I even had it. I pull it out from the depths of the pantry while we're still on the phone and ask a couple of questions. Why read the directions? It even has a steamer basket I can use to steam veggies while the rice is cooking. That night for dinner I plugged the little red thing in, put my rice and water in with the same proportions I'd use if I were making it on top of the stove, added some salt, plopped the lid on it, and flipped the switch to cook. I made the rest of our dinner while the rice bubbled and steamed away. And voila! Perfect brown rice (and quinoa). The best $10 anyone could spend on a kitchen gadget. I use it almost daily.

Damn. Why didn't I try it sooner?

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Avigal's First Egg

Avigal's first egg (right)

Shoshanah's egg (left), Ilana's egg (center)

Talk about a banner day. It's downright eggciting!

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Ilana's First Egg

Ilana's first egg (right)

Next to Shoshanah's egg from yesterday

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Sustenance

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My Edible Yard: Garden Pests and Summer Heat

The front yard garden isn't doing so well. The beans seem to be shriveling up and dying. They were attacked after the first couple harvests by a bright green caterpillar with a big round black head that likes to roll itself into the leaves and create a cocoon. I dutifully went out every morning to hand pick the worms off the plants and ceremoniously kill them with a pinch of 2 fingers or a step of my hot pink gardening clogs, and think I actually got a handle on them, but now the leaves are turning yellow and I don't see many blossoms.  At least we got a few meals out of them.

The zucchini and yellow squash died soon after blossoming (I suspect squash vine borer that I didn't catch early enough). I sprayed with Organicide, an organic pest and fungicide made up almost entirely of sesame oil, but I don't think I got to them early enough. I quickly pulled all but 1 of the squash plants out of the bed in the hopes of saving it, but it, too has wilted away. So no zucchini or yellow squash this season. Next year, I'll start a proactive weekly Neem spraying program as soon as I see blossoms starting in an effort to fend off the buggers. I also see something going after the cucumbers, more the Specialty Miniature White than the pickling cucumbers, and I'm certainly still getting cucumbers, just not at the level I expected. I'm hoping that with the rain the last couple days that I'll be able to put up at least another 4 or 6 quarts of pickles that should last us throughout the year.

Another deterrent to the garden this summer has been the heat. It's been unbearable. For the last month, the temperature has been in the 90s with feels like temperatures in the 100s. I know I can't stay out for long in it,  so I'm sure the veggie plants are having just as tough a time. I want to try incorporating row covers or mini-hoop houses to reduce the temperature and UV a bit.

Meanwhile, the fruit seems to be doing well. The grapes are shooting out feelers that I'm trying to guide up the arbor. The blueberries and raspberries are producing a lot of new growth, so I'm hoping I made the right decision by putting them in containers as opposed to the ground, and am looking forward to some homegrown berries in the spring. The mango and peach trees are surviving and we'll have to see what next year brings. Even a small crop would make me happy.

With the prolonged cold this year, my tomatoes have just finished fruiting within the last couple weeks. I let them go all the way to the end because the chickens absolutely love tomatoes as snacks, but this weekend, all the tomato beds will be emptied of plants and fertilizer worked into the beds in preparation for the next crop of something. Eggplant is the other hold-out crop this year, though it, too, is nearing the end. I've got about 10 small to medium eggplants hanging on branches that I think I'll harvest today before bugs/rats/birds get to them and plan on making either eggplant Parmesan or an eggplant lasagna for dinner either tonight or Monday.

I have 3 more empty beds in the front yard (2 that went up at the same time as the grape arbor that I've not yet planted; 1 that had all the zucchini and squash pulled for disease) that I'm going to attempt something with—maybe more okra as it seems to take to the south Florida heat well.

If you have summer crops that are doing well down here, please let me know. I'd like to incorporate them into our little urban homestead garden. Now for the chores before the heat takes over.

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My Edible Yard: Slightly Sweet Dill Refrigerator Pickles

I've already gotten a few requests for the recipe I use for pickles. These are a great refrigerator pickle. They last forever in the fridge and are not too tangy. I especially like the fact that the recipe is for 2 quarts, so can easily be multiplied to make larger batches. Try other veggies with it--carrots, green beans, cauliflower, asparagus. Yummy!

Slightly-Sweet Dill Refrigerator Pickles (Bon Appetit, June 2008)

Yield:  Makes 2 quarts

Ingredients:

1 small sweet onion, thinly sliced into half moons

2 pounds medium pickling cucumbers, scrubbed and sliced into quarter-inch rounds

1 large bunch fresh dill, coarsely chopped, including stems

1 tablespoon yellow mustard seeds

2 teaspoons whole white peppercorns (I always use black peppercorns)

1-1/2 cups apple cider vinegar (I always use rice vinegar or a combination of rice and apple cider vinegar)

1 cup water

1 cup sugar

3 tablespoons coarse Kosher salt

2 teaspoons dill seeds (I never seem to have dill seeds in the pantry, so usually use celery seeds)

Directions:

Divide sliced onion between two 1-quart wide-mouth canning jars. Pack cucumbers slices tightly in jars (the recipe says horizontally, but I just pack them any way I can). Top each jar with dill (it will stick out above the top of the jar). 

Crush the peppercorns and mustard seeds with a mortar and pestle or put them in a plastic bag and whack them with a mallet or hammer. In a saucepan, add the crushed spices, vinegar, water, sugar, salt and dill seeds and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring until the sugar and salt dissolve.

Ladle the mixture evenly between the 2 jars. Leave the jars uncovered and place in the refrigerator overnight. You'll see the contents of the jar shrink so that you can fit the lids on tightly in the morning. Make 1 week ahead. Keep refrigerated.

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My Edible Yard: Homestead Update in Pictures

Here's a quick MEY Urban Homestead update in pictures. Enjoy!

Blueberries

Provider Green Beans

Okra

Saturday's Harvest

Slightly-Sweet Dill Refrigerator Pickles

Eggs

The big chickens contemplating the

baby chicken hutch

Some of the baby chicks dust bathing

Ida, a Cuckoo Maran

Ilana, a Buff Orpington, the most verbal

about her dislike of the baby chicks

Leisl and Loretta, White Plymouth Rocks

Little Nutmeg, a Rhode Island Red

Scout, an Easter Egger

Sophie, a Cuckoo Maran

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My Edible Yard: Joyful Noise

I've always been an early riser, excepting those few teenage years when sleeping till noon seemed appropriately rebellious. Those couple hours of morning darkness between 4 and 6 a.m. allow me to organize my thoughts, make my plans for the day, and get some work done without being interrupted by work calls and emails. It's my me time.

As I sit in front of the computer this morning absorbing my second cup of coffee, it strikes me that it's not so quiet anymore. I hear birds chirping a happy morning tune, one of the chickens making an announcement of some sort, be it a morning wake-up call, egg announcement (a little too early for that, I think), or an order to me that she's ready for her morning feed (likely), and a neighborhood dog barking in the not so far off distance. I can hear the incessant hum of the air conditioner dutifully attempting to push away the heat of the already 84-degree day, the TV going in the bedroom (I'll never convince Mickey to turn it off at night), and the faint occasional clicking of the coffee maker keeping my coffee warm before it buzzes its last-call-for-a-hot-cup-of-Joe alarm.

Joyful noise.

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My Edible Yard: June Planting Guide for South Florida Gardeners

With all the excitement of our first egg, I totally forgot to send out the June Planting Guide from Tom MacCubbin's The Edible Landscape.

June

• Plant summer veggies - okra, Southern peas, sweet potatoes and cherry tomatoes.
• Plant boniato, calabaza, dasheen, roselle, sweet cassava, yard-long beans and yautias (what the heck is a yautia?).
• Cut back blueberry bushes. Cut blackberries to the ground after fruiting.

For amounts to plant, see the navigation links at the top of the My Edible Yard blog and click on South Florida Planting Guide.

P.S.: Shoshanah appears to be a 1-egg-a-day girl as she has delivered one perfectly-shaped light brown egg each day since starting to lay. I think Avigal, a Buff Orpington, will be the next to start as she is beginning to squat when petted.

P.P.S.: The younger chicks have been moved to a roomier hutch in the backyard chicken area. The big girls have not yet decided if they like them or not, and have nipped a few babies in the tush when annoyed. I try to let the little ones out twice a day to free range and to start socializing with the big girls so that when it's time to give up the hutch it will hopefully be a smooth transition.

P.P.P.S.: If you are looking for a great source for nutritious snacks for your chickens and a way to reduce the feed bill, try stopping in at any Whole Foods Juice Bar and ask for a bag of the juicing remnants. They'll give them to you for free as they normally throw them away.

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My Edible Yard: Delivery Announcement

It is with great pride that I announce the delivery of the MEY urban homestead's very first egg. Shoshanah, one of our two black Australorps, announced her delivery with great aplomb (a very loud, sustained cross between a cackle and a musical note of some sort) that at approximately 11 a.m. she had a laid a light brown, perfectly shaped egg and sat it right next to the golf ball I put in her makeshift nest--an old pet carrier that I took the front door off of and filled with pine shavings. I had set the golf ball in there to give her the general idea as suggested by chicken friends and in some of the online chicken groups. I cackled with glee as I complimented her on the beauty of her egg and thanked her for feeding us. I'm not sure which of us had the puffier chest.

I put Shoshanah's egg next to an extra-large

egg I had in the fridge for comparison.

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