Butterfly Bush Blooms

We planted a butterfly bush on the side of our house last year, and so far this year it has grown like crazy. It looks a little funky, though, because some of the branches are longer than others and some stand straight up while others fall to the ground. David decided it was time to cut it back so it would grow more evenly. It was hard to do because there were a lot of beautiful purple blooms at the tops of the branches.

But I had an idea. There was no way I was going to let those gorgeous, fragrant blooms go to waste! I sorted through each branch and threw the ones that didn't have any blooms into the compost. Made a couple friends in the process. :)

I gathered some of my favorite containers, filled them with the blooms, and placed them in as many rooms as I could!

They smell sooooo good. I love having fresh flowers in the house and it's even better when they are gathered from my own back yard!

~Tammy

Berry Overload Part II - Blueberry Bars

After last weekend, it seems like I would have had my fill in picking berries. But I was at it again this weekend! My pioneer women and I went to Iller's Berry Farm to pick blueberries.

We met up at 8:00 in the morning to pick because the forecast called for highs in the 90s. It was actually really nice weather early on with a good breeze. About an hour into picking it did start to get pretty warm, but we were able to finish up in about an hour and a half.

Everyone at Iller's was so friendly! We went up the hill to check in, then they sent us back down to the blueberry bushes were Steve was waiting to get us started. We were armed with buckets and given tips on how to pick the best berries. Steve said, "What you want to do is eat a lot of berries. Find out what the sweetest ones look like and pick those." I thought it was so cool that he said we could just eat right off the bush so we knew what was best to pick! The bushes were pretty full, but he said that later on this week (maybe Weds/Thurs) they will really be ripening like crazy, so heads up if you're in the area and want to pick blueberries!

When we checked out, they had a couple of recipe cut-outs that we could take. I saw one for blueberry bars and knew exactly what I was going to do with my blueberries once I got home (there was no author on their recipe, so not sure of the origin). Let me tell you, this was just about the best dessert I've ever put in my mouth.

Blueberry Bars
Makes about 2 dozen

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup old-fashioned oats
1 cup sugar, divided
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar 
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon*
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter or margarine
1 tablespoon cornstarch
3 1/2 cups fresh blueberries
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1) Preheat oven to 375. Line a 13x9" baking pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil, set aside.
2) In a medium bowl, combine flour, oats, 1/2 cup sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Using a pastry blender (or just use your fingers) cut in butter until mixture is crumbly. Press half of flour mixture into bottom of prepared pan.
3) In a medium bowl, combine remaining 1/2 cup sugar and cornstarch. Stir in blueberries and lemon juice. Spoon blueberry mixture evenly over prepared crust. Crumble remaining flour mixture over blueberry mixture. Bake for 45 minutes, or until lightly browned. Let cool in pan completely (if you can wait that long!). Cut into squares to serve.
*The recipe called for 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg, but I'm not a big fan of nutmeg so I just used cinnamon and increased it to 1 teaspoon. You could just use the nutmeg, or use nutmeg and cinnamon.

I picked about 6 pounds of blueberries, and even after making these bars I still have a lot of berries left. I'll most likely freeze the rest -- if there's anything left after snacking on them this week!

~Tammy

Feathered Friend Friday

I thought it would be fun to start a new series called "Feathered Friend Friday." The plan is that every Friday I will write a post with interesting facts, photos, or funny stories about chickens. I'm a bit obsessed with my girls, so this is a good way to share my love of all things chicken! If you need to catch up, you'll find all the Feathered Friend Friday posts here.

I'm a frequent visitor and poster on BackYard Chickens, and before we got our rooster I read all sorts of posts on the good and bad things about them. I thought it would be so cool to see the dynamic between a rooster and his hens, and I've enjoyed watching that relationship over the past year since we got our rooster, Cam.

The main reason why people keep roosters is to protect the flock. They are very aware of their surroundings and at the slightest hint of danger will make a specific noise to warn the others. I have seen this firsthand many times. When Cam sounds the alarm, all of the hens stop what they're doing and look to him for further instructions. If something is a close threat, he will round them all up and get them inside the coop where they are safe.

Roosters are naturally at the top of the pecking order, and they work to keep things running smoothly. For example, Cam always yells at the girls when he hears wings flapping. He doesn't want them to try to fly out of their fenced in run and he makes a very specific noise if they try to fly too high! He wants them to stay secure in the run where he can keep a close eye on them. He does his best to keep them safe and out of harm's way.

The most endearing thing I've noticed about Cam is how he always puts the hens' needs above his own. If he finds a good treat like a bug or juicy worm, he won't eat it. Instead, he will make a certain call and the girls will come running! He often times will pick up the treat in his beak and walk it over to his hen of choice, dropping it right in front of her so she can enjoy the tasty bite. Whenever I give the flock special treats like bread or pasta, he hardly ever will partake. He just stands by while the girls get their fill, making sure they each get some. It really is the sweetest thing.

I've heard a lot of people say that roosters are mean and horrible and only good for the stock pot. Truth be told, I was pretty nervous when we got Cam because I had these horrible visions of being flogged. Cam has been showing signs of aggression towards me lately, so I am getting a little worried. However, there are many things you can do to calm them down and I'm willing to try them all if I have to. Lots of things I've read online say that after they are about a year old they may start to get a little mean. Cam turned a year old in April, so I guess the timing is just about right (before one year of age males are called cockerels, and after one year of age they are referred to as roosters). I just keep reminding myself he is trying to protect the hens and I do my best to stay out of his way!

Of course roosters to like to get down and dirty with their girls, if you know what I mean. And they really know how to put on the charm. Cam will do a little dance for a hen, basically walking in a circle around her to let her know he's interested. Most of the time the girls just run away and ignore him. Eventually he gets tired of the rejection and just jumps on top of them. He always tries the nice way first, though!

We just had the girls by themselves for nearly two years, but I think we will always have a rooster in the flock from now on. Besides being good protectors, they are also pretty entertaining to watch. Nothing better than settling in for some good chicken TV at the end of a long day!

~Tammy

Berry Overload

I picked a lot of berries this past weekend!

Saturday morning started early - met Heather at 6:45 to pick cherries in Fruitland. The cherries are small, about the size of marbles, with such a sweet taste. I pitted them all and put them in the freezer until I figure out what to do with them. Nothing was wasted - I collected about 1/2 cup of cherry juice in the pitting process! Will probably end up freezing the juice as well until I find a good drink recipe that calls for fresh cherry juice.

Next up, I met my family for some berry picking at Blue Berry Hill Farm in Cobden, IL. We picked strawberries first and I got almost enough to fill a flat! Then we went up the hill to pick blackberries. Next weekend we plan to pick blueberries if they are ready!

We've been gorging on the strawberries and blackberries the past few days. Nothing better than hand-picked fresh berries!

~Tammy