Awkwardly Adorable

I brought the chicks home only 3 weeks ago and they've already grown so much. Now, they are at the goofy, in-between stage where they have feathered out quite a bit, but still have some down left. Their personalities continue to emerge and they are definitely much friendlier.

 Cayenne. In every picture I take of her, she just plain looks pissed off. The oldest and biggest of the brood. She is a bit of a bully and I wonder sometimes if "she" might actually be a cockerel, especially with that comb development. Time will tell. Golden Laced Wyandotte, hopefully a pullet, possibly a cockerel.

Paprika. She is my cuddly bird. Seriously. She wants to be held or, better yet, sit on my shoulder so she can preen me. Pretty sure she would ride around up there all day if I let her. Golden Laced Wyandotte, hopefully a pullet.

 


Parsley (formerly known as Lavender). She is very shy and extremely difficult to get a picture of. I am fairly confident that she is a splash variation of the Blue Laced Wyandotte, most likely pullet.

 Marjoram (aka "Marjie"). Like Parsley, she is reserved but not quite as flighty. Much darker. At first I thought she was a black variation, but now I think she is actually a blue. Blue Laced Red Wyandotte, likely a pullet.

Rosemary (aka "Rosie"). She is the reddest of my BLRWs so far. She may also be a splash, but I'm not as sure with her. She's a little bit darker than Parsley, but lighter than Marjoram. We'll have to wait for her to finish feathering out to be sure. Blue Laced Red Wyandotte, likely a pullet.

 Coriander (aka "The Colonel"). His comb is starting to come in and he has become a lot bolder, but still no signs of meanness. Colorpack Easter Egger, almost certainly a cockerel.

 Colonel Coriander again, showing off his feathering and his glorious comb.

Cinnamon. A quiet but friendly girl. She looks different every day and I have no idea what her adult appearance will be. Colorpack Easter Egger, most likely a pullet.

Cinnamon again. She has gotten much braver since I added the raised perch, allowing her to come to me on her own terms.

  



Ginger, doing her cockerel imitation. She is actually just stretching up to check out the scary camera in my hands instead of treats. She started out as a ball of yellow fluff, then got a ginger head and now she is this marbled beauty. Colorpack Easter Egger, really hoping she is a pullet, but not as certain as I used to be. 

Clove. Another shy but very sweet girl. She has maintained her dark coloring even as she's feathered out and I am really eager to see what she becomes. Easter Egger, likely pullet.

  



 Clove and Ginger together. Ginger still doesn't trust the camera.

  





Nutmeg (aka "Meg"). Bold, outgoing, friendly but doesn't like to be held. I worried that the rust feathers on her wing might mean she is a cockerel, but more experienced chicken keepers seem to feel otherwise. Easter Egger, hopefully a pullet.

  




Nutmeg again. She was feeling especially photogenic this session and I had a difficult time picking only a couple of the great photos she gave me for posting.

  




Peppercorn (Formerly known as "Little Miss Poopy Butt." For some reason, my husband felt she needed a new name, so she got the name of his favorite spice.). Sweet, silly, bold, noisy. Altogether lovable. Has feathered feet. She is starting to want to be held as well. Dominant Copper (Black Copper Marans/Barred Rock cross), hopefully a pullet. 

Sea Salt. (Formerly known as Peppercorn, but the name fit her "sister" better) Also sweet and silly, but not as bold as Peppercorn. Adorable penguin face. Dominant Copper (Black Copper Marans/Barred Rock cross), likely a pullet. 

  




Salt & Pepper. See what I did there?


 






In a couple more weeks, they should be feathered out enough to go outside to the coop and run. It's happening so quickly! 

Meet the Chicks

We've talked about getting chickens for awhile now. Finally, last spring we decided the time had come. I did a LOT of research and began constructing a chicken coop (post on that to come). The weather was less cooperative than we would have liked, as is typical of Pacific Northwest springtime, thus building the coop took longer than anticipated. Before we had quite finished it, the local supply of chicks had dried up and my motivation to continue the work right along with it.

Fast forward to this spring. Looking at the 85% finished coop every time I went outside got me thinking about chickens again. I resumed my research and tried to find some older pullets (hens that are less than a year old) that would be ready to lay this summer, but getting pullets is hard and expensive. Finally, I accepted that if I wanted to pick specific breeds and varieties, I was going to have to get chicks. So, I placed an order online to be delivered in June (that was the soonest I could get the ones I wanted). The timing wasn't ideal, but it was the best I could manage.

With chicks on the way, I was going to need a brooder, so I built one of those (post on that to come, as well). The brooder project actually went pretty quickly. After it was finished, I took a short road trip to visit a friend at a chicken show not too far away, just to get myself into the chicken mood. While there, I popped into a local farm store that just happened to have chicks for sale ... including most of the types I wanted. Before I knew it, I had purchased a dozen of the adorable little fluff-butts. I took them home and deposited them into the brooder. Just like that, I was officially a chicken owner. (Note: I did cancel the online order so I wouldn't end up with more chickens than I could comfortably house.)

For the first of what may well be many chicken-related posts, I decided to show off my new little girls (and one likely boy). I spent way too much of my day trying to get a decent pic of each of them. I mostly succeeded. So, without further ado, here are our new little chicks (Disclaimer - all names are being tested and may be subject to change as the chicks get older and their final appearances and personalities become more developed.):

This is Cayenne. She is one of two Gold-laced Wyandottes. She will develop into a lovely brown hen with golden, laced feathers.

Cayenne got her name from her bright red head and her feisty personality. She is bossy and active, but so far hasn't been mean. She is the largest of all the chicks, which might partly explain her bossiness. She will lay brown eggs as an adult (assuming she doesn't turn out to be a rooster, which given some of the bossy behavior I've witnessed is certainly a possibility).

Paprika, the dark chick on the right, is the other Gold-laced Wyandotte. I'm fairly certain that she actually is a pullet. She is quiet and gentle. As you can see, Paprika also has a red head, but a much lighter face. The blue chick next to her is Lavender, a Blue-laced Red Wyandotte. I was unable to get this variety online and was very excited to see them at the farm store. Their presence is what triggered my purchase.

Marjoram is another Blue-laced Wyandotte. She has much darker down and a lot more color in her wing feathers. She also has red splashes on her head.

Rosemary is my third Blue-laced Wyandotte. She has a light down like Lavender and red splashes like Marjoram. I am looking forward to seeing how these slightly different girls develop as they get older. It was very sweet of her to show off her wing for me.

This is Peppercorn. She is a Dominant Copper, which is a cross between a Barred Rock and a Copper Maran. She is much tinier than the Wyandottes and looks like a chubby little penguin. I couldn't get a good view of her face, but I will keep trying. It is truly adorable. Peppercorn will lay dark copper to chocolate brown eggs when she matures.

The little black chick on the right is a second Dominant Copper. (The larger chick on the left is Paprika.) She is even tinier than Peppercorn. I'm having a tough time settling on a name for this bitty girl. She developed a case of pasty-butt the first night home and I started referring to her as Little Miss Poopy Butt, but my husband insists that is not an appropriate (or particularly nice) name. Besides, it doesn't fit in with the herb & spice theme I have going. I'm currently bouncing back and forth between Parsley and Anise. I may have to wait for her to get a bit older before I can settle on one or the other (or something else entirely).

This little gal is Ginger. She started out all yellow, then developed this adorable ginger head. Unless her coloring changes drastically, her name is settled. Ginger is one of three Easter Egger Colorpack chicks. These chicks are a cross of Cream Legbars with at least two other standard breeds. They will lay green to blue eggs as adults.

Ginger is a silly girl who spends her time either hiding or trying to boss the bigger birds around. She has a lot of personality packed into a tiny package. It will be interesting to see just where she ends up in the pecking order as an adult.

Cinnamon is another Easter Egger Colorpack chick. Very sweet and lovely, she has quickly become one of my favorites. Like Ginger, she will lay eggs somewhere in the green to blue range.

Here is Cinnamon again with Coriander, my third Colorpack chick. Note the spot on his head. Unlike many breeds, Colorpacks can be sexed by the presence or absence of this spot. Because Coriander has a spot, he is almost certainly a cockerel (rooster less than a year old). We picked him for that reason as we had decided we wanted to try having a rooster to protect the hens. Time will tell if this was a good decision or not.

 

Nutmeg is an Easter Egger, but not a Colorpack. Easter Eggers are usually Ameraucanas crossed with something else. They often lay bluish eggs, but can also lay green, pink, brown or cream. We won't know what color she will lay until she actually starts laying. That is the fun of Easter Eggs. Their feathers and eggs come in all different colors and it's a surprise what you end up with. It's difficult to see in these pictures, but Nutmeg has buff colored cheek muffs.

Nutmeg is bold and spunky. She is usually the first chick to examine and explore anything new in the brooder. She happily climbs up into my hand even when I am not offering treats. If I had to name a favorite at this stage, Meg would be it. She has such a joyful personality and a really adorable face.

Clove is our second Easter Egger. She is a sweet, timid, little thing. As you can see, she looks totally different from Nutmeg. Overall, she is much darker and her cheek muffs are grey, which makes them much easier to see.

This is Clove from the side. She has beautiful wing feathers already. If it weren't for the tufts, I'd swear this girl was another Gold-laced Wyandotte. She looks so much like them. I can hardly wait to see how she turns out when all grown up. 

And that's all of them. Colonel Coriander and his eleven herbs and spices. Yeah, I went there. Stay tuned for more posts and pics as these little chicks grow up. In the meantime, I need to finish getting that coop ready!

Recipe: Pulled Pork

Another recipe requested by a friend. Enjoy, Lenny.

Pulled pork is probably the easiest barbecue to make, especially for beginners. It is very forgiving of technique and can even be made in a crock pot, if you are desperate, though purists probably wouldn't consider that barbecue. (I usually resort to this in late January/early February, when the world outside is starting to dream of spring but it isn't quite warm enough to really run the smoker yet.) I strongly encourage you to smoke this, if at all possible, or even cook it on a regular grill, using two-zone heating. (That's a whole other post, for another day. If you really want to know, Google is your friend.) You can even roast it in the oven at a low temp, but if the crock pot is your only option, go for it. I've included crock instructions where they might vary from the smoker method, but most of it will be the same except for the actual cooking part. As for the oven, it's pretty much the same as the smoker only you are doing it inside.

First, you will need a pork butt, or pork shoulder as it is sometimes called. If you are cooking in a crock pot, I suggest a partial butt if you can find one. Even my largest crock would have trouble accommodating a full butt. Um, that just sounds wrong, but you get what I mean. Anyway ... if you can't find a partial butt, no worries. You can cut a full one into smaller pieces. I usually do that anyway, even when using the smoker, as it allows it to cook faster and gives me more bark (more on that later.)

This is a pork butt. Or pork shoulder. Call it what you like, it is delicious when cooked low and slow until it becomes fall-apart tender. My local butcher trimmed this up pretty well, so it is ready to go, but if your butt has excess fat on it (ahem) then you might want to get rid of some of it. CROCK TIP: This is especially important when cooking in a crock pot, as every bit of that fat stays in the pot. Trim it down to a 1/4-inch (about 6 mm) thick or less.

If you are working with a full butt, you may want to cut it in half. I usually do. It cooks faster and gives me more bark, that tasty, crunchy crust that forms around the meat when you smoke it. A half butt takes 10-12 hours to smoke, whereas a full butt will need 16 hours or more. I don't like to get up before dawn to start making dinner, so I cut it in half. CROCK TIP: Bark, alas, is not going to form in the crock pot, so that is not a factor for you, but size might be. You may need to cut your butt just to get it to fit inside the pot.

To cut a full butt, look for the bone, as knives and bones don't get along very well. Cut the butt in half just to the side of said bone. You should get two almost equal pieces which will cook at close to the same rate. CROCK TIP: You can freeze half your butt for another day or use the other half to make sausage. Your call.

After splitting your butt, you need to coat it with mustard. (Stop laughing, I'm being serious here!) The mustard helps the rub adhere to the meat and also helps develop that amazing crust. Traditionally, plain yellow mustard is used. I prefer Dijon mustard with a little of my homemade chili sauce mixed in, but any mustard will work. If you are not a fan of mustard, don't worry. The mustard flavor pretty much disappears during the cooking process. Even so, if you honestly cannot handle putting mustard on your meat, then you can substitute olive oil. I prefer the mustard as I find it easier to work with and think it makes a better crust; however, there are many cooks out there who would disagree with me.

Just use your hands and slather a thin coat all over the meat. Don't be afraid to get messy. If you really must, you can use a silicone brush to apply it, but it will take longer and your coverage won't be as even. CROCK TIP: Since you cannot form bark in a crock pot because it holds all the moisture inside the pot, you may skip the mustard if you like. It won't hurt to add it, but it won't hurt to leave it out either. Just skip ahead and sprinkle the rub directly on the meat, if you prefer.

 

Next comes the rub, the true secret to great pulled pork. Most pit masters have their own secret blend and I'm no exception. I won't share my specific recipe, but I'll give you a basic one to get started. Just mix all the ingredients together and sprinkle liberally on your butt. (Seriously, stop laughing.)

RUB RECIPE:

• 2 tablespoons (30 ml) coarse sugar. I use turbinado sugar. Brown sugar also works. Granulated only if that is all you can get.
• 2 teaspoons (10 ml) coarse salt. I prefer kosher, but coarse sea salt also works. Table salt in a pinch. (haha -- pun!) IMPORTANT: If your butt has been injected with saline solution, omit any additional salt!
• 1 teaspoon (5 ml) garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon (5 ml) onion powder
• 1 tablespoon (15 ml) paprika. I prefer smoked, sweet paprika for this recipe, but any will work.
• 1 tablespoon (15 ml) dried parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon (2-3 ml) dried sage
• 1/2 teaspoon (2-3 ml) ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon (2-3 ml) ground cumin
• 1/2-1 teaspoon (2-5 ml) pepper flakes. The more you use, the spicier it gets.

Don't be afraid to experiment with different spices in your rub. That's how you get your super-secret, signature recipe. Just remember to start with a sugar/salt base with a ratio of about 3 parts sugar to 1 part salt. Again, omit the salt if your meat has been injected with a saline solution.

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FOR THE SMOKER:

Preheat your smoker to 225°F (107°C). This is your target temp, where you want to keep your smoker at, but as I said earlier, butts are very forgiving. If your setup strays a bit from this, don't fret. As long as you keep it between 200°-300°F (95°-150°C), you should be fine. Since there are a ton of different smokers and grills out there, I'm not even going to attempt to instruct you on temperature regulation here. Just follow the instructions that came with your smoker or grill and you should be good. NOTE: I use a pellet smoker myself. I find it easy to use and love how it regulates the temp for me. I've used charcoal, wood and propane smokers in the past as well, but greatly prefer my pellet smoker. I just fill the hopper, set the temp, toss in the meat when it's ready and forget about it until dinner. Can't get much easier than that.

As I mentioned earlier, a full butt can take 16 hours or longer to cook. Half butts like these generally take 10 hours, maybe 12, depending on the size. Use a good meat thermometer and start checking full butts at about the 12 hour mark, half butts at about 8 hours. Don't check too often though, as all your heat escapes every time you open the smoker. (NOTE: I recommend inserting a digital cooking thermometer into the butt when you place it in the smoker. This will allow you to monitor the internal temp without having to open up the smoker.) When the internal temp hits 195°F (90°C) stick it with a barbecue fork and twist gently. If the fork turns easily, it is ready. If not, keep cooking until the internal temp hits 203°F (95°C). Cooking beyond this temp will just dry out the meat, so it's time to take it out of the smoker. If the fork still won't twist at this point, you may just have a tough butt (Stop it!) and may have to slice it instead of pulling it. No worries, it will still taste good. 

Smoked pork butt, ready for pulling.

IMPORTANT: Do NOT put sauce on your butt while it is smoking! I mean it. You have to wait until after it is pulled. Sauce will ruin all that lovely bark.

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The Great Escape -- by Kinkers

My humans escaped their enclosure today. The four-foot-high fence that surrounds their run is usually sufficient to keep them contained as humans are poor climbers and can barely jump at all. However, a downed tree had compressed a section of the fence, lowering it just enough for them to get over it. I knew right then that I was in for a long, frustrating day.

At first, they stuck close to the fence, no doubt seeking the comfort of familiar surroundings. I was even able to draw them back inside a few times, but since I was unable to repair the fence, they simply climbed back out again. So annoying. Then they began to wander off and my annoyance turned to concern.

You see, these humans are far too tame to survive on their own in the wild. They can't even hunt! I've attempted to teach them to provide for themselves by bringing them injured prey to practice on, but they are so inept they have not yet managed a single kill. If I didn't bring them fresh prey several times a week, I am certain they would starve. But I digress.

Once loose in the woods, the inexperienced humans chose the most difficult path possible through the trees, making enough noise to attract every predator for miles around. Still, they moved surprisingly quickly for such large, cumbersome beasts and soon had distanced themselves far enough from the enclosure that I feared they would not be able to find their way back. (Humans have an extremely poor sense of direction and horrible eyesight.) I followed in their wake, trying to direct them back toward the run, but have you ever actually tried to herd humans? It's impossible!

I called to them continuously, warning them of their impending doom and encouraging them to return home, but they just kept moving deeper and deeper into the woods. Reluctantly, I followed. After all, I've invested almost three years into training this particular pair. I wasn't about to lose all that hard work. I simply had to get them back to safety, somehow.

Thankfully, the terrain eventually grew too steep and rough for them to continue. But did they simply turn around and head back they way they'd come? Of course not! Silly creatures managed to get themselves into the woods yet could not figure out how to get back out. Fortunately, now that they were hopelessly lost, they were finally willing to follow me. I attempted to show them the easiest path back, but humans are stubborn and, I think, not terribly bright. They kept going the wrong way. Often it was necessary to sit at the obviously appropriate spot for several minutes before they would grudgingly give it a try. Still, we gradually made progress though they frequently fell behind, forcing me to wait for them to catch up. 

Finally, the enclosure was in sight. Another tree had taken out the entire corner of the fence. (I really must do something about that.) Anyway, I figured once they were within view of home, they'd manage to make it back easily. I was mistaken. Though I showed them how to run along the log, directly back into the enclosure, they took a much longer, more difficult route through the underbrush. By now I was exhausted from chasing them through the woods all afternoon, so I just settled atop the fallen tree where I could keep an eye on them, trusting they would find their way back inside on their own. Eventually, they did, though it took them several tries to actually reach the opening. 

Finally back inside the safety of the fence, I followed them long enough to make sure they returned to their den without further mishap, then found a quiet place to settle down for a bath and much needed nap. Keeping humans as pets is seriously hard work. They require constant supervision and are always getting into trouble. Lucky for them that they are so darn cute.

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A Sticky Situation

It never occurred to me, as I headed up to the garden for the morning watering, that I'd be spending a half hour or more trying to remove a snake from a strip of duck tape. Some things you just don't see coming, even when they are totally your fault. But, wait, let me back up a bit.

A little over a week ago, I planted some bean seeds. I do this every year and every year the mice steal and eat about 85% of them, leaving me with maybe 3-4 seedlings, if I'm lucky. So this year, I decided to take some defensive measures to keep the little thieves out of my starter pots. It seemed like such a good idea at the time.

I converted some of my extra potting trays into covers, knowing they would match up because all the trays were the same size. However, I needed to keep the tiny mice from just crawling through the big gaps, so I attached some metal screening to the bottoms (which would be the tops when inverted). I used duck tape to attach the screen because I've had issues with glue holding to plastic like that. When they were finished, they worked just as I'd envisioned. I was very pleased with my cleverness, which is usually the beginning of my downfall.

A few days later, I notice the duck tape was starting to peel up from the screen. All the humidity from the seed pots, which must be kept constantly moist, was keeping the tape from sticking to the screen. It held fine to the  plastic trays, but there just wasn't enough surface area on the screen material for the tape, sticky as it is, to maintain purchase and it was simply curling away.

After considering the problem for a day or so, I decided that if I put duck tape on both sides of the screen, the tape would stick to itself through the holes in the screen. After all, nothing sticks to duck tape better than more duck tape. Brilliant, eh? Unfortunately, I procrastinated actually implementing the idea. There is so much to do in the garden in spring and the screen was staying in place in spite of the curling tape. It honestly didn't seem like that urgent of a problem ... until this morning.

I stepped into the greenhouse and started watering the seed pots when something odd caught my eye. There was a snake, stretched out along the top of one of the covers, next to the duck tape. Now, snakes in the greenhouse are no big surprise. They love how warm it gets in there and I see them rustling about all the time. But usually they hide when I come in and this one was just laying there, not moving at all. And something about it looked ... off.

It took a moment before my brain caught up with what my eyes were seeing. The snake had snuggled in under that inviting curl ... and gotten stuck to the gluey side of the tape. Almost its entire body was immobilized, including its jaw, which was locked into an open position. I could tell it had been there for awhile, too, because it was starting to look very dry. My heart broke when I realized what I had done to this poor, unsuspecting creature. 

I reached down to pick up the snake and turn it loose, but I couldn't. It was really, really stuck. I was afraid of ripping its skin right off if I pulled any harder. I had no clue how to free it. Then it occurred to me that misting the seeds had caused the tape to curl. Maybe if I misted the tape around the snake, it would come loose. I misted like crazy, but no luck. The snake remained firmly adhered to the tape. 

Next, I decided to try removing the tape, with the poor attached snake, from the tray to see if that would make things any easier. I got lucky and a good portion of the tape decided to tear right along the snake's body, freeing about two-thirds of it. Unfortunately, that left a good six inches of snake, including its head, still seriously stuck.

I carried the critter, who was now extremely unhappy with me, down to the house. I put some water into one of those saucers you place under pots and tried soaking the tape and snake in it, making sure to keep its head above the water. This worked better than the mist and about half of the still-stuck skin slowly released. The snake also seemed to re-hydrate quite a bit, losing its shriveled look. It also got a LOT feistier, writhing and twisting every time I took it out of the water in a desperate attempt to free itself. It took quite a bit of effort to keep the poor thing from getting even more stuck.

Eventually, it became obvious that the water had released as much as it was going to. The time had come for drastic measures. I settled the snake as best I could in a small box, still in the water to keep it from twisting itself up into the tape, and darted into the house for some cotton swaps and rubbing alcohol. I was worried about the harshness of the alcohol on the snake's skin, but I knew if I didn't get the poor thing free it was going to die. By this point, I was running out of options. 

Over the next several minutes I alternated between dabbing the alcohol along the tape next to the snake and then dipping it back in the water to rinse it off when the snake totally flipped out. Slowly, the alcohol weakened the adhesive enough that our mutual efforts eventually freed the critter from the tape. As soon as it was loose, the snake stopped writhing and contorting and simply settled itself into my hand. After a few minutes, it calmly started curling itself around my fingers, soaking up the welcome warmth after being repeatedly dunked in cold water. 

Since the snake was now much calmer, I took a few minutes to examine it. I didn't see any serious injuries, though I'm pretty sure it lost a few scales to its sticky captor. Still, I couldn't find anything that appeared life threatening. I couldn't think of anything else that I could do to help the creature, so I took it back up to the garden and turned it loose in my strawberry bed. It departed carefully and without haste into the grass and under the brambles. Near as I could tell, the snake was fine. I'm pretty sure it will recover without any issues, though it may give the greenhouse a wide birth from now on.

Having done what I could for my hapless victim, I immediately returned to the greenhouse and snagged the covers from the seed trays. I redid all three until there wasn't even a tiny bit of glue exposed. I'm pretty sure they are safe now, but I will check them often and if they even begin to curl up again, I'll remove them completely. A few bean seeds simply aren't worth the risk.

Please, accept my apology, my dear little snake. I honestly did not realize that would happen. Be safe, little one!

Stepping into Spring

 

 Spring has always been a time of new beginnings and growth for me. I never really got the whole "New Year's Resolution" thing. January is mid-winter. I'm still hibernating and putting things to rest then. Not exactly the best time for starting anew, at least not for me.

But, Spring ... ahhh! New sprouts peeking up from the slowly warming earth. Fresh green buds popping out and adding color to the previously barren trees. All that energy that has been building up for months is suddenly released as the world comes to life again. Now, this is a great time for a fresh start!

This past winter has been a little harsh for me. I suffered a few losses that left my heart sore. Moving out of the darkness and into the light has been more difficult than usual, but I need to do it. The time has come to heal and move forward.

 

 

Still, breaking those sedentary habits can be tough. It has taken a little more convincing than usual to get out of the house and into the garden this year. My start has been slow and jerky, but now that I'm going again it feels great! Sometimes, it's just a matter of taking that first step, even if the path is a bit obscured.

 

Given my renewed level of activity and the desperate need to shake off the winter blues, I decided this would be a good time to return my attention to my fitness goals. A few years ago, I began a determined effort to live healthier and improve my overall fitness. Part of that goal involved losing weight, but mostly it was just about feeling better. I did remarkably well for awhile there. But then, somewhere in the recent months, I kind of dropped all that alongside the path. Time has come to pick it back up again. Healthy body promotes a healthy mind and vice versa, right?

 

So, I'm working hard and trying daily. After the initial effort to break out of my inertia, I'm finding the journey pleasant and enjoyable once more. Because, after all, even if life does get a bit messy and chaotic, there is still beauty to be found. You just have to look for it. So, I'm getting out there every single day and looking. I'm often surprised by what I find.

Already, I'm can feel the changes that come from just getting up and moving on a regular basis. I am stronger and I have tons of energy. I'd forgotten that healthy living actually feels good! I'm still a little slow getting going in the morning, but once I do I move through the day with vigor and anticipation now. So much better than just plodding along. 

So, yeah, I'm enjoying spring even more than usual this year. Like the plants and critters I share my world with, I'm growing stronger and feeling better. I'm finally starting to shake off the past winter's heartache and enjoying life again. And, when you come right down to it, isn't that the whole point of being here?

 

I truly hope your spring is as full of growth,  opportunity and sunshiny goodness as mine is promising to be. Remember, life is there, just waiting for you to "spring" back into it. So, go on. Take that first step. Or, better yet, just close your eyes and jump. You won't regret it. 

I do so love this time of year!

Recipe: Apple Pear Sauce -- Shiny!

Like applesauce, but with pears, too!

I was chatting with my friend, Shiny, on his Twitch channel while making this and he asked for the recipe. So, Shiny, this one is for you. I measured everything out best I could as I went, just as you asked ... even though I never measure anything for this particular dish.

How long it will take:

About 8 1/2 hours from start to finish, but you'll be able to ignore it for most of that time. Only about 30 minutes of actual work at the beginning and then just the occasional stir.

More time will be needed at the end if you want to can it, but that is completely optional. It is perfectly acceptable to just eat it all, though I don't recommend trying it in one sitting.

What you will need:

• crock pot (I have several. I used my six-quart, self-stirring one for this.)
• 2 lbs pears
• 3 lbs tart apples (I used Granny Smiths)
• 3 lbs sweet apples (I used Gala)
• 1/4 cup apple cider (optional, apple juice also works and is also optional)
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp ginger
• 1/4 tsp allspice

If you like your applesauce sweeter, go with more sweet apples. If you like it very tart, go with more tart ones. Keep in mind, there is no sugar to counter the tartness and the pears are a bit tart as well. This ratio gave a nice, moderately tart flavor with gentle pear undertones. If you don't like pears, just leave them out. Or replace them with more apples, sweet and/or tart, to give the same volume. (Sorry, Shiny, but that's about as exact as I can get with this one. Use the amounts listed and you won't be disappointed, I promise.)

If you absolutely MUST add sugar (ugh!), go with brown. Seriously, though, you don't need it.

What you will do:

Peel the pears and apples and cut them into largish chunks.  Smaller chunks work, too, and will cook faster. I like large chunks because it's a LOT of peeling and cutting and it goes faster if I leave the chunks bigger.

I've tried leaving the peels on, but if they are tough they can muck with the texture. Had one batch that the peels never quite dissolved, leaving these little "woody" bits throughout the sauce. Tasted fine, but the bits of peel were kind of nasty. You are welcome to skip peeling if you are feeling brave or lazy or simply like the texture of wood in your applesauce. Me? I take the time to peel now.

Toss all the chunks into the crock pot. I do this as I cut them, so I don't have to dirty up a bowl. If you like to wash bowls, by all means, use one. Or two or three. Knock yourself out.

 

NOTE: This amount of fruit filled my six quart crock pot to the top. If you are using a smaller crock, adjust accordingly. Or snack on the extra pieces while the rest cooks. Either works.




 

Pour the cider in with the pears and apples. I add this because it takes awhile for the fruit to "juice up." You can safely omit it, if you want.

Sprinkle with spices. Stir to mix them in, if you like. Or not. The fruit doesn't care. I stirred mine, after I took the picture though.




Cover and cook on low until everything is soft and mushy, stirring occasionally. (Or use a fancy-shmancy self-stirring crock pot, like I did, and it will stir itself.) The fruit should break down and fall apart until it gets to that familiar, applesaucy consistency. The longer you cook it, the darker it gets and the more intense the flavor becomes. If you cook it long enough, it becomes apple-pear butter, but we aren't going to take it that far today.




After about five hours of cooking, the apples had pretty much disintegrated, but some of the pears were still intact. So I grabbed my trusty pink potato-masher and mashed away.





There, that's better!









It's still not as thick as I'd like it though, so I turned the lid sideways to allow some of the moisture to escape. (I think the stirring mechanism will still work like this, but if the lid goes skittering across the kitchen, we'll know I was wrong. Pretty sure the manufacturer advises against this!)

I'll give it another hour or three to thicken up.



After 8 hours, you can see that it's reduced by about half (from the original, full crock). It's a lot thicker now and the sugars have had a chance to caramelize, giving it a rich, brown color. It's hit the point where every bite is an explosion of apples, pears and spices. That means it's ready.




Serve warm, all by itself -- or topped with whipped cream -- or over vanilla ice cream. All are good, trust me.

If you make a lot, like I did, the extra can be canned for later use. (For more info on canning, check out Ball's Fresh Preserving site.) You should also be able freeze it, I would think, though I've never tried. Or just stick it in the refrigerator and eat it all over the next few days. There is no sugar in it, so no guilt. Unless, of course, you put it over ice cream. In which case, you've earned it, right? So, still no guilt.