Ponderosa Lemons

Have you ever heard of Ponderosa lemons? I hadn't up until just this past week. One of our cousins lives in Alabama and he brought a big cooler full of these lemons with him to Christmas this year. I love discovering new vegetables and fruits, so I was happy to take some off of his hands.

I was really surprised at the size of the fruit. They are similar in size to grapefruits and have a thick, bumpy rind. They actually aren't true lemons at all, but a hybrid fruit that is part lemon and part citron.

They are very seedy inside and taste a little more bitter than a lemon. They aren't quite as tart as lemons, but their juice can be used in place of lemon juice in any recipe in the same quantity.

I'm excited to try them out in a "lemonade" since I have tons of them to use before they go bad. I'd also like to try lemon bars, lemon cookies, lemon curd...the list goes on! I really love lemons so I can think of plenty of uses for these Ponderosa lemons. And heck, if I have any left over the roosters will be happy to take them off my hands.

Do you live in a climate warm enough to grow citrus fruit? If so, do you grow Ponderosa lemons?

~Tammy

Shared with Clever Chicks Blog Hop, From the Farm Blog Hop  

Feathered Friend Friday: Christmas For Chickens

Welcome to our "Feathered Friend Friday" series. Each Friday I write a post with interesting facts, photos, or funny stories about our chickens and guineas. If you need to catch up, you'll find all the Feathered Friend Friday posts here.    

Well, another Christmas has come and gone! I hope that you had a great holiday season this year. We spent lots of time with family this week and had plenty of down time, so we are enjoying our season.

Of course there are gifts for the humans this time of year, but I knew I couldn't leave out my feathered friends. I mixed up a special present just for them and judging by their reaction, I think it was a big hit.

Somewhere in that pile of feathers you may see they are feasting on some goodies. I gathered leftover corn, black beans, and scallions as a Christmas treat and they clearly enjoyed it. They really love beans, so I knew this would be a nice treat for them.

As usual, the food was gone in a flash. It always amazes me how fast several chickens can clean a plate! I love giving them special treats every once in a while and it's so fun to watch them go crazy over the food. Chicken TV is always entertaining.

Did you give your animals anything special for Christmas this year?

~Tammy

Gizmo Love

I haven't done a Gizmo post since back in September, so I thought I'd give a little update on how he's doing.

First of all, as you may see, he's huge! He really has grown so much that when I look back on older photos I'm just blown away. It's hard to remember he was every so tiny as he was here. Since I don't have human kids yet, Gizmo is my little fur baby so it's the closest thing I have to compare to when parents look back at baby photos of their kids and feel a bittersweet nostalgia.

He is about seven months old, so he's starting to get a little bit sweeter and more cuddly. He still loves to play and definitely still is a kitten, but he is showing beginning signs of being slightly more mature. We got him fixed last week and I always hate taking animals in for procedures like that, but thankfully he did just perfect and never seemed to be fazed by it at all.

Poor Fitz is still having a hard time adjusting to him because Gizmo always wants to play and Fitz is a grumpy old man. But I have noticed Fitz being a little more playful from time to time, so I think Gizmo is sort of bringing out the kitten in Fitz again. All in all, welcoming Gizmo into our home has gone much more smoothly than I thought it would. I'm so glad I tricked David into letting me keep him in the house!

~Tammy

Feathered Friend Friday: Chicken Coop Cheer

Welcome to our "Feathered Friend Friday" series. Each Friday I write a post with interesting facts, photos, or funny stories about our chickens and guineas. If you need to catch up, you'll find all the Feathered Friend Friday posts here.       

After spending some time making the house look nice and festive for the Christmas season, I had an idea. I've never decorated the coops before, but I wanted to add a little cheer to the chickens' homes as well.

The roosters' coop

Why should the humans have all the fun? :) I thought adding inexpensive wreaths with red bows would be a good way to perk up the coops a bit. I love how they make me smile every time I let the chickens out each morning or lock them up at night.

The main coop

Perhaps the chickens don't notice, but it makes everything feel more festive to me. Why not spread some Christmas cheer to your feathered friends as well this year?

~Tammy