Kitchen Goods and Barnyard Gossip

Maddie (our nearly naked Newfie...sporting her second haircut of the summer)
has been hanging out on the campus of Birdbrain Academy lately.
According to her, rumor has it that this class of guinea keets just may be the smartest yet!


When questioned, Headmaster Gus confirmed that "Yes",
the youngsters test scores are well above the national average.


Way to go guineas!!

There's a bit of trouble brewing in the henhouse, however.
It seems we have a slacker in our midst.
Here are yesterday's eggs....


Yes, the numbers are down but that is to be expected.
We don't worry so much about quantity,
but quality... now that's another matter.
And one of the hens is not laying up to standards!


I asked Elton if he knew who might be the culprit.


He sheepishly suggested that we talk to the "Divas".


As he put it...
they spend more time primping and preening their fancy hats than they do working.

Come on girls... no more micro mini eggs, ok?

Can anyone tell me....
what is the attraction that butterflies have to horse urine??
It's one of those barnyard mysteries!


According to Donnie Brascoe, our resident Science Pony...
it is because they like the salts and minerals that are in urine.
Hmmmmmm.


You heard it here!

And if you were wondering how our teeny, tiny nest in the blueberry bush is doing...
well, now we have three eggs.
I will be putting a "No Trespassing" sign on that bush for the next few weeks.


And finally as promised....


Blueberry Lime Jam

5 cups of blueberries (crushed)
2 1/2 cups of sugar
juice of two limes 
zest from one lime
1 pack of fruit pectin

Bring the above to a boil in a large kettle.
(I processed about 4 times the above amount at one time)
When you reach a rolling boil, allow to boil one more minute.
Skim foam from top of liquid.
Pour into jelly jars with 1/4 inch headspace.
Place and hand tighten lids.
Process in water bath for 15 minutes.

This is one of our favorite jams.
I add a lot of lime to it to make it tart (how we like it).
If you like a sweeter jam, you can certainly add more sugar.


Blueberry Buckle
and a Giveaway....
Coming on Monday!
Stay tuned.........

Comments

Anke said…
As soon as we go blueberry picking I'm going to give your blueberry jam a try. The combination of blueberries and limes sounds delicious!
I've been waiting for this recipe. Don't you just love looking at your jars when you are finished? I wish I had a place in my kitchen to display them.
BaileyWife said…
Absolutely HILARIOUS!!! And LOVE your diva hens...those are on our list for next spring. My son wants to start showing chickens at the fairs now. Oh how we love our birds! We have some peacocks we could sell you!!!!
You gave me my early morning chuckle..thank you. Hope you find the slacker!
Jam says delicious.
danikiker said…
Today's post really made us smile and laugh!! Soo cute!! What a great story to start our day :) and we loove all the pictures from the garden this week! Gorgeous! hope you have a great weekend!!

Danielle and Girls
This N That said…
I've been curious as to how you have so much information in that head of yours and where it comes from...Now I know!!! You have an endless supply of info coming from your animals!!! Have a great weekend..Try to keep cool..
Country Gal said…
What a great post. I smiled through the entire read and photos ! YUMMY ! Papa and I do love anything Blueberry ! Have a good day !
Kim said…
Always enjoy my visit to your place. The blueberries look wonderful.
Katmom said…
Oh Bev,
Plz send us some of your lovely weather.... it rained again today..as I was setting up my other little trailer...go figure!
Oh & as for blueberries, gues what! i have some on each bush, but only about 5-6 berries per bush,,, so maybe next year we'll get more I hope!
On the plus side, the tomatoes are going crazy,, finally... i see Salas in our future!
Hugz & happy gardening..
Hi Beverly, did you use a pack of liquid or dry pectin for your jam?

Thank you,
Mary