PEEBOTTLE FARMS

It is time omg

oryourmustache — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 09:20:05 -0400

Here’s some great advice about planting flowers in the global warming era!

WHAT THE HELL KIND OF MONSTER EGG IS THIS?

oryourmustache — Sat, 17 Sep 2011 19:20:00 -0400

It’s really important to get the chicken coop live cam installed ASAP so I can figure out which chicken pooped out this shockingly huge egg. And then I’ll have to decide whether to high-five her or buy her a hemorrhoid pillow.

Below are the various ways I photographed a giant egg to convey its giantness. I have not cracked this egg open yet because I am afraid. It’s in its own container in the fridge because I cannot close the carton with it inside.

The eggs range in size, and sometimes the biggest ones have two yolks inside. I can usually guess from the size and shape (they tend to be longer/taller). I think this egg might have four or five yolks inside, which is disgusting, but I’m not sure exactly why.

I mean.

NEW GRIST PIECE IS ALL ABOUT BUYING CHICKENS!

oryourmustache — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 09:11:03 -0400

Check it out please thank you!

A PEEBOTTLE PANORAMA FOR YOU!

oryourmustache — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 15:42:30 -0400

Anonymous asked:

What’s the layout of your farm? Would you mind drawing up a little “blueprint” sort of deal showing where plots are, where chickens are, and so on, plus the reasons why you put things where you put them? Would be interesting to read. Thanks!

Dear Anonymous,

I made a “blueprint” and a panorama of the farm because I’m a computer scientist and it was a lot more fun than what I was supposed to be doing today!

For the most part, the decisions about where things would go in the yard were made for us. A big mulberry tree shades a large area, and someone had laid down a brick patio a long time ago, which we discovered when we shoveled away the foot of dirt that had buried it. So we put the garden on the other side, where it’s sunny. (This summer, Carpenter Luke helped me prune back some of the mulberry branches, which were creeping in and shading the garden.)

Long-time readers will remember that, for a few brief months, Peebottle Farms was twice as big as it is today. We cleaned up the entire backyard, which spans our building and the one next door, and once we did the hard labor, its beauty was so appealing that it was snatched away from us. Originally, we imagined the chickens living on that side, and away from the building, so they wouldn’t be so close to our neighbors’ windows. We are really thankful that the family whose windows are right by the coop doesn’t mind. In fact, they seem to like it (they’re Mexican, which might help make it seem less strange). There are three little kids who sit in the window watching them often, and of course, we’ve given them some eggs in gratitude.

—N.

DONATE TO FARMERS HURT BY IRENE, OR AT LEAST SHOP YOUR GREENMARKET THIS WEEK!

oryourmustache — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 17:38:37 -0400

alittlehoney:

Terrible news for our farms, farm markets, foodies, and friends! Irene has devastated farms in upstate NY. And NOW the FDA has issued a blanket ruling that prohibits any produce that was under flood waters from being sold for human consumption. www.justfood.org for more information.

HEY SQUASH: YOU'RE KIND OF AN ASSHOLE

oryourmustache — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 16:16:35 -0400

Squash is one of those gardener ass-pains that everyone knows about, like mint. Except of course I didn’t know. So when Steve, possibly my favorite person ever, gave me a Christmas bouquet fortified with home-grown organic marijuana and two kinds of squash seeds, I was psyched.

In the spring, I asked him what kinds of squash they were and he said: “The littler seeds make smaller squash and the bigger ones make bigger squash.” Alrighty. So I started many seeds. When an amount is not specified, I generally put a lot of whatever I’m putting in whatever I’m making. A lot of black pepper in the sauce, a lot of seeds in the dirt. What if some of them don’t start?

Well, they started. Especially the big ones. (The big green leaves climbing the fence in the photo above are squash.) They started and did not stop. Their thick, strong vines grow about a foot a day in every direction, shooting out giant flat leaves that soak up the sun and shade everything beneath them. They sprawl out and send out corkscrew tentacles that strangle everything in their path like some kind of cartoon devil plant.

At one point, I tried to redirect the vines that had made a B-line through our neighbor’s yard, but the squash found its way back and has bisected their weed-and-rubble collection. Of course, our only sizable fruit so far is on that side of the border.

Apparently these guys are good for pies. I don’t even like pumpkin pie.

NEW GRIST COLUMN TODAY

oryourmustache — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 12:12:53 -0400

Go read my new piece at grist.org about building the chicken coop with Tei and having him hate me!

A WELCOME HOME DINNER FOR FARMER TED

oryourmustache — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 15:36:00 -0400

Tei is home for just a few days before heading to Paris for two more weeks working a lot of computers and projectors and sound things I don’t understand for “In Paris—A Play,” the crazy Russian play he is touring with Baryshnikov.

To welcome him home after a very eventful six weeks at Peebottle, I fed him some home-grown things. First, Shishito peppers, blistered on the stove and then drizzled with sesame oil and soy sauce (on a plate I made myself, FYI). A couple of them were hotter than they should be, which means I should have snipped them earlier, but they were delish. Then we had a chicken leg Thai curry with lots of basil from the garden and “eggy rice,” with our own eggs.

QUESTIONS!

oryourmustache — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 09:14:05 -0400

Readers, take note: at the bottom of this blog is a button marked “ASK A QUESTION”. Please use it to ask questions or give advice. Also, within each post you can comment freely. Let’s talk about chicken butts or something.

HERE I AM PUTTING CHICKENS IN A DOG CRATE

oryourmustache — Sat, 27 Aug 2011 22:24:00 -0400

So, I decided to destroy Roo’s dog crate by putting six chickens in it to poop all night long during the storm. Yes, I wore latex gloves and freaked out the whole time.

The chickens are in the basement now, with food and water and the crate is elevated about a foot off the ground. They feel weird but what you gonna do?

[photos by lauren katzman <3]

BATTENING IS MAN'S WORK

oryourmustache — Sat, 27 Aug 2011 21:13:00 -0400

I have no idea what I’m doing with these chickens, and Farmer Tei is in stupid Holland working. I boarded up the coop window, screwed the dinky doors shut, and put a few big rocks inside to weight it down, but I’m still considering shoving the hens into Roo’s dog crate in the basement. Visions of a hot pink chicken scramble flying through the air are making me feel guilty in advance of Irene.

The dogs were extremely annoying and panicky while I brought everything inside, and Superdog, who had a biopsy a few days ago, keeps jabbing that head-cone into my legs in an effort to help me by being in my way at all times and giving me a thousand bruises on my calves.

Be safe, friends!

HOW IS YOUR GARDEN GROW?

oryourmustache — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 15:25:00 -0400

It’s really wrong to make fun of someone for speaking English as a second language, but Tei’s mom, Eiko, once asked me “how is your garden grow?” and now that’s the only way I can ask anyone anything (try it next time you want something more snazzy than “how was your day?”). I’m not making fun of her. She’s just adorable and Japanese.

Anyway, I just wanted you guys to know that it’s not just the chickens that I care about at Peebottle. There’s a lot of exciting stuff happening in the garden.

I bought some callaloo at the Union Square Farmers’ Market recently, and it’s partying in the backyard. “Callalloo” actually refers to a dish made with cooked leafy greens, and that dish can be really different depending on the cook’s origins. The “callalloo” pictured above is a kind of Amaranth, and this is what Jamaicans usually use. (Jamaican readers, please send me your recipes. Thanks.) I went for it because there are many Jamaicans (and Trinidadians) in my neck of Brooklyn, and I have enjoyed the dish lots of times. Now I just need to find someone to give me a cooking lesson. Don’t think I’m kidding—I have a habit of inviting myself to the homes of strangers and buying them groceries in exchange for lessons in the home cooking of wherever they’re from.

What kind of pepper is this? I have no memory and no idea! It looks spicy and I think I will pickle it. And then put it on a roast pork sandwich with mayonnaise. OK?

I know what these are, and I’m real jazzed about them. They’re shishito peppers that Eiko started for us, and I just snipped them to blister in a very hot cast iron skillet and then dress with lemon juice and salt. (Eiko likes them with soy sauce and a little sugar, which I will try too). They’re mild but also do not taste like green belle peppers—thank god. I see them rarely at the greenmarket so I’m thrilled to have them in my own backyard.

A GRIST.ORG COLUMN!

oryourmustache — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 12:31:09 -0400

If you want to see what it’s like when I try to take all the little episodes that I describe here and make sense of them, please read my new column on Grist! I’ll be writing about Peebottle every other week!

Above is my author photo, because I’m mysterious and I love fried things.

TOMATOES ARE EXISTING BECAUSE I'M A FUCKING WIZARD

oryourmustache — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 17:29:00 -0400

Early last summer, Tei’s mother, Eiko, came for a visit at my parents’ house, and we all ate some heirloom cherry tomatoes my mom had bought at a farm stand in Upstate New York. They were dark purpley-green and intensely flavorful. We all just raved about them, the way people in a comedy sketch about the absurdity of “foodies” would.

Eiko, ever resourceful and an experienced gardener, took home some seeds and started tomatoes of her own, which is a delicate task. The next thing we knew, she had several tomato plants baring copious, delicious fruits.

She started a few plants for us too, and they all died abruptly at Peebottle. It seemed their heads had been chomped off, maybe by some dirty street cat!

Eiko had faith in us for some reason, and started a few more plants for us this spring. This time, they’ve taken off, and are just now ripening.

Check out the BEFORE AND AFTER:

1/3 OF THE FLOCK NOW LAYING EGGS, NO MORE EGGS NECESSARY

oryourmustache — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 07:38:06 -0400

Folks, we’ve reached the next level of farmdom. I don’t know if it was the sunlight from the window Carpenter Luke recently installed, or if she just needed a little more time, but a second chicken has joined in on the laying action.

I explained (and maybe complained) last week that a second hen had sporadically begun to lay eggs—one runty, yolkless thing and one that got cracked because she chose a corner of the main floor of the coop as her spot, rather than a luxury nesting box, with a built-in egg-rail to keep her eggs safe. Until this weekend, I hadn’t ever received two eggs on one day, broken or not. Hen #1 has been laying one almost every day, but had missed those days when Hen #2 had laid (which made me wonder if the same gal was responsible, but had been moving around).

For three days straight, there has been one egg in the right-most of our three nesting boxes and one egg in the right, front corner of the coop floor. The shells of both hen’s eggs are very thick and hard, which is normal when chickens first start laying. Hen #2 is actually making slightly larger eggs, with a lighter brown shell than Hen #1. I assume they are different breeds, but I have no idea who to thank, still.

It’s probably about time to install that infrared hen-house webcam, yes?

Two eggs a day, or 14 a week seems like plenty for a normal couple of people, but there are four more ladies in that box, readying themselves for womanhood. What the fuck are we gonna do with 42 eggs a week?

Just in case you were wondering what voracious chickens looked...

oryourmustache — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 13:01:05 -0400

Just in case you were wondering what voracious chickens looked like inhaling a bowl of rolled oats, bread chunks, and pickled herring. Because that’s what I gave them and they went crazy, except that one weird girl who’s still poking at the ground off to the left.

I REALLY HATE TO BRAG ABOUT MY ROOFTOP OASIS

oryourmustache — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 08:00:00 -0400

Mmkay, oasis might be a strong word, but I’m just glad I didn’t brag about my first attempt at this, when I forgot about the whole thing for several days during the heat wave, because i was too busy napping in between cold showers, and everything turned brown and crunchy.

Kids, remember to check out your local farmer’s market or farm stand for happy, natural plants. Best place to put your money! All of these came from the Union Square Greenmarket for about $25 total, except the edamame, which I started from soy beans Tei’s mom, Eiko, gave us. From the one minute I spent reading about edamame, it seems it’s easy and prolific and grows like a little snack bush. I’m sure ‘ll discover why I haven’t heard of lots of people growing these in an urban setting.

You may not have a backyard, city friends, but find out if you have access to your roof if you haven’t already investigated. If there’s a locked door, ask your landlord how s/he would feel about you going out there to plant a few pots. It’s worth a try, even if most landlords are inexplicably uptight. This pot came from Home Depot, and the others pictured above are all from Ikea. But buckets and anything else that you can drill or cut holes in the bottom for drainage will do the job.

PING PONG EGGS AND A NEW WINDOW

oryourmustache — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 13:01:00 -0400

I bet you guys have been dying of curiosity about my egg situation—oh!—I mean my chicken egg situation. Well, ever since I got the first one, about two weeks ago, I’ve been collecting one almost every day from the same box. I’m assuming it’s from the same hen lady. They’re getting a little bigger and none since the first have had double yolks.

A few eggs have been left on the main floor of the coop recently. One was some kind of chicken ping pong ball excuse for an egg, and contained only a white, and the other two were normal, though one had cracked. Who leaves her precious egg on the floor to be trampled by a bunch of birdbrained roommates? I assume those were from my second layer. They were darker and a little spotted, so perhaps she is of a different breed than the first, but she seems to have had a false start, as I haven’t gotten any more floor eggs in many days.

I was slightly concerned about all this, even though I think it’s quite normal for pullets who are just beginning their careers in womanhood. My lovely friend Kelly, who came for a visit on ping pong day did a little research, which said that light is an important factor in egg production. It all came back to me: the lamps in factory farms, the beautiful natural light at the farm where we bought our hens. The coop we built has spaces for light and air to pass through, but it must not be enough!

Enter our talented and affable carpenter friend, Luke, who happens to make beautiful furniture right in our very basement! (I suggest you get a friend like this, in addition to the handy boyfriend I have recommended before.)

When the weather starts to cool down, I’ll add plexiglass to the outside of the window. (There will be less light then, of course, and some breeds stop laying eggs in the winter, but our Rhode Island Reds should go strong.) For now, they can enjoy the gentle breeze through the safety of some more chicken wire.

Stay tuned to find out if my workers are happier in these conditions.

SUN SALUTATION

oryourmustache — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 13:44:50 -0400

Here is a photo essay (?) documenting the life of our sunflower. Yeah, I’m a hippie now, deal with it.

LEARNING ABOUT SQUASH BLOSSOMS THE HARD WAY

oryourmustache — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 15:38:00 -0400

Yesterday, after a shit day at work, I was really feeling serene when I snipped some squash blossoms from the garden and collected my one daily egg from the coop. What a life. I can’t figure out a way to refrigerate the flowers without having them wilt within a few hours, so I decided to eat them right away.

Upstairs, while I rinsed them, one blossom gave me a sharp vibrating buzz when i squeezed it gently. I dropped it and, the novice that I am, wracked my brain for any forgotten fun fact about zucchini flowers/squash blossoms stinging people like the electric eels I encountered on an aquarium field trip some 20 years ago. Then i peaked inside to find a bee. I freed it onto the roof with a chopstick and continued my chore only to get two more buzzes from the remaining bees inside. I avoided getting stung and managed to make pasta.

Don’t you love carb night?

HERE’S A “RECIPE”:

SQUASH BLOSSOM PASTA FOR YOURSELF

While boiling some pasta, throw a few smashed cloves of garlic in a pan with some olive oil, then add the squash blossoms (stamens and bees removed, flowers sliced lengthwise) and a couple of anchovies. Cook over medium heat until the flowers wilt and begin to brown at the edges. Season with salt.

Whisk one egg with a generous helping (1/4 cup-ish) of Parmigiano-Reggiano and plenty of black pepper in the bowl you plan to eat from.

When the pasta is ready, use a slotted spoon or a spider (my favorite) to spoon the pasta right into the bowl with the eggs. Add the blossoms and mix everything together real good. Grate more cheese on top, taste for salt and pepper, enjoy.