Getting the flock out of here - a diary of a crazy chicken man

[AtlantaChick]

You can get Gouda at pretty much any grocery store. Aldi's carries it too. Borden makes a decent US made Gouda.. not sure why it's still Gouda at that point.. but hey. *laugh* (Dutch cheese is named after the city it's made in)

I know, but there's totally a difference. Even if it's only in my head. Plus it gives people something to bring me when they travel!

 

[Amykins]

Then again, give a foreigner some Finnish salmiakki, and they'll be gagging. Regional tastes differ pretty much.

You should see my house at Christmastime. My uncle insists on eating his customary lutefisk and surstromming. My aunt hasn't given him a new years' kiss since their first anniversary.

 

[vehve]

You should see my house at Christmastime. My uncle insists on eating his customary lutefisk and surstromming. My aunt hasn't given him a new years' kiss since their first anniversary.

My better halfs parents usually have lutefisk at Christmas, but that goes a bit too far for me. Not a big fan of surströmming either.

 

[Penny Hen]

Aren't Smarties more like m&m's? I can't remember, don't buy much candy anymore.

I think US expats have it easier to find treats from home. Here many grocery stores have a shelf of Murican products, so you can get your Reese's peanutbutter cups and whatnots. Scandinavians have it quite easy as well, you can just go to any Ikea in the world and find some of the things you miss from home like lingonberry jam or glögg. One thing you can also probably find anywhere in the world is a Middle Eastern or Asian store that imports directly.

This is going even further off topic, but I heard a funny story about a woman who was furious in the produce isle, screaming at the staff because they didn't have domestically grown bananas. I'd like to see a banana tree that can manage in a Finnish climate.

There is a banana tree that will survive a Tennessee winter. But it won't produce fruit. It is an ornamental. And all the ones I have seen have been under 15 feet.

 

[vehve]

There is a banana tree that will survive a Tennessee winter. But it won't produce fruit. It is an ornamental. And all the ones I have seen have been under 15 feet.

I think I once saw a small banana tree in a greenhouse on a school trip several years ago. It was maybe 3-4 meters high and produced these small 10cm bananas. That was just a project for fun I think, they mainly grew cucumber in that greenhouse. Outside, apple trees do ok. Cherry, pear and plums can be grown as well, but apple is pretty much the only one that does well enough to be grown commercially. Berries are better suited for our climate, those we have an overabundance of. If only someone would pick all of them, it's estimated that only 5% of the edible berries are harvested annually. Every Finn would need to pick about 350 pounds every year to get them all to use. The situation is the same for mushrooms as well.

 

[perchie.girl]

Quote:
there are two cold hardy bananas.... one grown in Japan and one who is native to the Himalayas.

http://www.cooltropicalplants.com/Cold-hardy-bananas.html

The ones we are so familar with are the seedless variety... the above bananas have seeds.

just a bit of trivia .... they grow here outside in a sheltered from the wind spot. So do Plantains. both produce small fruits from what I have seen.

deb

 

[ozexpat]

Back to the chickens......

My advertising is still getting a steady flow of hits. I am going to be shipping at least 20 more birds this weekend before I leave.

Each day I make a plan and then try and meet it. With wysans departure I have to allow Dominic extra time for the animals. Thank goodness the rains have been watering the gardens for us. Ging is about to give birth so is basically preparing food and ironing only.

Today we did some pig vaccination and the final plumbing jobs so I can check them off the list.

I spent the Afternoon playing with power tools dressing hardwood. The trees were cut down five years ago on our farm to make way for a fence then rough milled by the chainsaw guy.

It's an amazing sight to convert the rough lumber into beautiful tight grained wood. I built a frame to fit around the ac unit. I am very happy with the outcome. I will sand and finish it tomorrow afternoon.

We also managed to sort and band a hundred birds.

Tomorrow's main task will be to finish chickens. The village fiesta is also tomorrow. There will be a fluvial parade past our beach. The party will go on well into the night. I want to spend the afternoon finishing the new 600 egg iincubator but we will see how that goes.

 

[vehve]

Oz, it's good to hear that your chicken business is taking wind under it's wings.

When will the chicken mission be taking place? It's going to be interesting to hear what happens with the indigenous chicken population once your chickens are introduced to the local birds.

 

[ozexpat]

We have seven different types of banana. The only berries are mullberries but we have a nice young tree. Mushies pop up every now and then but can be quite prolific with a truck load of sugarcane press mud dumped here when we can get it.

 

[ozexpat]

The chicken mission will be September.

The island I live on is famed for its fighting birds. There are arenas that can hold 20000 people. Most hens are a byproduct of that business so it would take many years and lots of education to make a big impact.