Arizona Chickens

[mclevinson]

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Ha! Hey when I get DD squared again you wanna compare schedules again? Maybe this time it'll work!

ARE YOU TALKIN' TO ME? I've been trying to send you pm's but your inbox is full dear heart! I gave up!!!!! Let's have that chat now that school is in swing.

I cleaned out my inbox but it still says I'm at 91% capacity. WTHeck?

 

[LarryPQ]

You need to clean out the sent folder.

 

[pastrymama]

SEED BOX!!!!!!! i will be in oro valley this saturday. who am i picking up the box from again? is it pima chickens?

 

[Mikey D]

pastrymama wrote:

Sorry Mikey. The salmons are just a fragile breed. I ordered 8 at the end of feb, 2 died within 24 hours, I gave 3 to a friend and kept 3. One more died on me at 6 weeks when we hit a cold snap and she went into shock, poor thing. I sold one to Dof nup on here, so I have one left. My friend that took 3 just lost one to heat a few weeks ago. Just fragile. Why don't you come and take a look at her and decide if you really want them? I like these orloffs much better personally. And brahmas!

I hear you - and I believe you - and I'd love to come check them out.

We just rented out the house and need to do some major repairs as our last tenants were terrible! I'll be busy through the next 2 weekends, but I'd definitely want to see them!​

 

[Mikey D]

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Thanks Pastry! That's a good idea. I am however in far east Mesa and Deer valley is on the other side of the planet from here. I'd like to get some "meaties" but am still negotiating.

 

[constance]

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Yes, I think Pimachickens should have it. It should have gone from AZPenguin to TT!, then to Pimachickens to be ready for you when you came down. That was the plan anyway.

 

[pimachickens]

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Yep, I have the box! I'll send you a PM to figure out the meeting arrangements.

 

[constance]

mclevinson - Some thoughts on purslane ( I know, I am really behind on the list)

As you learn to use it, you probably want to harvest it before it goes to seed. The seeds are fine to eat, but they are very tiny and gritty, and can be a little sandy-textured. The safest bet is to get it early. We eat it at all stages, even with seeds, but it can be odd if you aren't ready for it. The flavor and texture are somewhere between cucumber, nopales and okra. It is succulent, crisp, and a little tart when raw, and can get slimey when cooked until it is limp. I use the leaves and fine stems raw in salads (including tabouleh), and for snacking while in the garden. It has a nice crunch and mild tartness.

A few uses for purslane:

Disclaimer: My brain is too scattered and fast, and I am too impatient to follow recipes reliably. I make it up as I go with what I have and adjust by smell, taste and texture. I have guessed at amounts.

"Verdolagas" - which can be the term for the plant or a way of preparation. Our neighbor in NM made fun of us for throwing out our purslane as a weed, and told us to make verdolagas instead. She told us to saute pork (chorizo, ground, bacon, sausage, whatever), pull it out, remove some of the extra fat, then to saute onion until it begins to get translucent, add in some chopped green chile (in NM, this means NM green chile, preferrably from Hatch), warm it, add a couple of cloves of garlic (diced or pressed), and a big
bunch of roughly chopped purslane. Saute until the garlic is starting to cook, and the purslane is starting to wilt a little, then put the pork product back in and saute it until it looks "good." This is a matter of opinion. We also add oregano and sometimes cumin while the onion is being sauteed. We prefer verdolagas to be just past al dente, but not completely wilted and gooey. We still like it when it gets left too long on the stove and it is gooey, or when it is still crunchy. Sometimes we add coarsly chopped tomatoes with the purslane and garlic. Top with fresh cilantro, salt, pepper, maybe some sour cream or yogurt, or fresh cheese.

Since you may not be a pork eater, using just olive oil is good, too, and is what we usually do. Occassionally we will have it with the pork, ground beef, or TJ's soy chorizo.

Tabouleh
We use wheat berries for our tabouleh, sometimes cooked, sometimes sprouted. Pick any recipe for tabouleh you like, and add in raw purslane leaves instead of cucumber, or with cucumber. It is a nice flavor. For about 4 or 5 cups of cooked wheat, I'll add about (I am really guessing): 1 to 1.5 cups of purslane, 2 cups of diced tomatoes, 1/4 to 1/2 cup of chopped fresh parsely, about 1 cup of diced red onion, green, or sweet onion (more if I am using a sweet onion), some fresh mint if I have it, and a "dressing" of olive oil,
lemon juice, red wine vinegar (sometimes + a little balsamic), 2 cloves of pressed/minced garlic, salt and pepper. I think I make about 2/3 to 1 cup of the dressing, maybe more. Toss everything together and let it chill for at least an hour. Stir occasionally. It is better the next day. Top with crumbled feta.

Purslane, Tomato, and Onion salad
Place finely/thinly sliced red or white onion in a bowl and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and a little sugar. Add some red or balsamic vinegar, and a splash of olive oil, enough to just about cover the onions, a clove of garlic pressed or minced (if desired), stir it all up, and let it sit for about 1/2 hr in the fridge, stirring occasionally. Add sliced or diced garden tomatoes, finely slivered fresh basil (chiffonade), purslane leaves (and chopped fine stems if desired), toss it all again, and put it back in the fridge to chill, again, stirring occasionally. Depending on the sweetness of the onions, I add 2 to 3 times as many tomatoes as onions. Sometimes I throw everything together at once, put it in a tupperware, shake it, stick it in the fridge, and come back later. Maybe it gets shaken again before we eat it, maybe it doesn't.

Enjoy!

 

[mclevinson]

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Ooooook.

 

[mclevinson]

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Thank you! I just pulled a bunch for the hens, we get the next batch. It's just in season now and we'll have plenty.