Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[Sally PB]

I was reminded that a squirt of lime juice makes peas more digestible (something to do with vitamin C)

I gotta try this with other dried beans, just to see if it helps me. I have lots of dried beans on hand, thanks to Covid (I bought some when nobody knew what was going to happen and thought they might be a good thing to have on hand). I like beans except for one thing. Yeah, that thing.

 

[Sally PB]

Bean tax:

Mom! Excuuuuuse you! Did you have beans for lunch?

 

[Shadrach]

Feedipedia revised their pea entry to include this: "Pea taxonomy is complex and debatable. In particular, there is no authoritative and definitive way to classify arvense (field) and hortense (garden) peas. They used to be considered as separate species (Pisum arvense, Pisum hortense) but they are now seen as separate varieties or subspecies of Pisum sativum (Pisum sativum var. arvense, Pisum sativum var. hortense, Pisum sativum subsp. hortense) or as separate varieties of the subspecies Pisum sativum subsp. sativum (Pisum sativum subsp. sativum var. arvense, Pisum sativum subsp. sativum var. sativum) (Martin-Sanz et al., 2011; USDA, 2011)."

But they vary a lot in nutritional content. Generally legumes are high in protein (but low in methionine; meanwhile most grains are rich in methionine, so when they're eaten in the same meal with legumes a complete protein is formed, akin to the quality proteins in meat, dairy and fish). The red/yellow/purple/black coloured ones are usually more nutritious than the green ones; and those varieties grown to dry usually have more phytonutrients than those sold fresh. There are other differences; e.g. lima beans, pigeon peas and kidney beans stimulate more gas production than other varieties (not that I've ever seen or heard a chicken fart!) - rinsing away the soaking liquor helps with that.

It's a problem isn't it. There are very large differences in the nutrition available with just one seed or grain type.
The dried split green peas I've been using have a 22.8% protein content which would be ideal if they ate them.
I've seen other dried split green peas at less than 15% protein.

By the way, chickens fart, no question.

 

[Molpet]

Bean tax:
View attachment 3692126
Mom! Excuuuuuse you! Did you have beans for lunch?

A pinch of baking soda in the cooking water... I don't remember the why it works but it helps

 

[Shadrach]

perhaps you want to try a little experiment? So when I was reading up to reacquaint myself with the pea issues, to answer Royal Chick's question, I was reminded that a squirt of lime juice makes peas more digestible (something to do with vitamin C). Not having a lime to hand, but a lemon, I added a few drops of lemon juice to the bowls before serving tea. There are definitely fewer peas left tonight. Maybe that was because we had cold drizzle all day long so the flock did a lot less foraging than usual. Maybe it was because they prefer them with a dash of lemon. Could/would you test it sometime while you've still got peas in the mix?

I'll try with just a bowl of peas and see if there's any interest.

 

[RoyalChick]

I gotta try this with other dried beans, just to see if it helps me. I have lots of dried beans on hand, thanks to Covid (I bought some when nobody knew what was going to happen and thought they might be a good thing to have on hand). I like beans except for one thing. Yeah, that thing.

I believe when you cook them you should add the acid late in the process. I can't remember why!

 

[RoyalChick]

A pinch of baking soda in the cooking water... I don't remember the why it works but it helps

And soaking overnight. Which reminds me, I need to soak some fava beans for tomorrow!

 

[Shadrach]

Two and a half hours today. Cold and damp.
Carbon's guts are all over the place again. She chose to eat mainly pellets today. At least she's eating.

 

[Shadrach]

I'm having some sort of breakdown. I'm cooking and quite enjoying it.
I've got so much dried stuff and I've just pulled some not very pretty but very tasty parsnips from my plot.

Parsnip (from the allotment) potato (from the allotment) and apple (from the allotment) soup. Garlic (from the allotment) Onion (from the allotment) nutmeg
with walnuts and a parma ham garnish.

 

[Sally PB]

Parsnip (from the allotment) potato (from the allotment) and apple (from the allotment) soup. Garlic (from the allotment) Onion (from the allotment) nutmeg
with walnuts and a parma ham garnish.

Home grown food is much tastier.