Greensboro Birds

We lost the lovely Skula Barred Rock yesterday. She went from our most prolific pullet to an ailing little bird in just a few weeks. We never could figure out what was wrong with her, but she gave it the old college try. Skula still holds the house record for most consecutive days laying (22), which might have been what ultimately did her in. If you’re gonna burn out young, though, might as well go out a record-holder. Rock on, Skula.

Can you believe Lunch is a year old? Yep, she’s officially a hen. That’s her on the left last year on June 20, when she was only a couple weeks old—and when we were only babysitting her for the neighbors. Tip: Don’t agree to babysit chicks. (Dinner, on the right, turned out to be a rooster, so he went back to the farm.) This morning at 8:00, Lunch passed another milestone: her 100th egg! I thought she’d never start laying—it took her 8 months, after all—and now she’s given us 100 delicious eggs. Congratulations, Lunch, you’ll find your strawberry performance bonus in the coop.

I’ve said it before, but it bears repeating: Finding cool and affordable bird gear is a big challenge. I refuse to pay the prices that “independent” chain of bird stores charges for feeders and houses, especially considering how so many of them look like torture devices I wouldn’t want in my basement, much less out there in my garden. Yeah, I know, it’s to keep the squirrels and stuff away, but really, trees don’t have these safety contraptions and birds nest in them all the time, right?

Anyway, I’m getting away from the point, which is that video profile up there from This Handmade Life about Fred Jakubiec’s birdhouse business on Etsy, Birdhouseaccents. Fred crafts colorful rustic primitive-style birdhouses accented with found objects that he and his partner, Lynn Patrick, score at flea markets or along wooded country roads. When you see Fred’s houses, you’d swear they cost a fortune, but they’re suprisingly budget-friendly—he even offers dozens of options under $15. Even thrifty ol’ me can swing that. My favorite is Fred’s riff on the classic trailer camper, complete with metal roof. Cute!

Folk Art Camper Trailer Birdhouse, $45, Birdhouseaccents @ Etsy

The best part? Fred seems like a really nice guy. After decades of living the wage-slave life, he and Lynn are living the dream, creating and selling birdhouses. Especially these days, isn’t it nice to hear about someone who’s been able to build a life around something he enjoys?

But you know, I do have to wonder why I let our chickens and chickadees inhabit houses that are nearly better than our own.

I’m busy doing stuff that doesn’t include uploading, Photoshopping, FTPing, and, well, blogging. Like being outside. Working outside, yes, but if you’re looking for me, I’m enjoying the world outside my blog. In the meantime, click over to The Awl (an awesome new website by my former virtual coworkers from a now-zombified site) and watch a hypnotic video of a grackle divebombing a lot of poor saps who spend their days in cubicles:

“Bird Peck” [via The Awl]

I’ll be back on the next crappy weather day that I don’t have work to do.

From now on, I say to all lowballers, “Sir, I am not the taco stand.”

Mmm, smell the spices! Today I revived a favorite dish that Josh and I used to get at Turkish restaurant Hemsin in Sunnyside, Queens: Lamb kofte. Since Memorial Day is a time to relish our freedom, I thought it was a good time to continue freeing ourselves from missing the foods we thought we’d never eat again since leaving the city. (Kind of like our Indian feast last Thanksgiving.)

We bought this delicious ground lamb last weekend at the Chinqua Penn farmers’ market from the nice folks of nearby Massey Creek Farms. I’d never cooked with lamb before, but I’ve been hankering for kofte and knew it was time to figure it out. I found the kofte recipe at Formaggio Kitchen. I then put together the required baharat spice blend (you can order it, but you probably already have the ingredients to blend it yourself). I also ordered the maras and urfa peppers from Turkish Taste, which sent generous amounts of each pepper at an extremely reasonable price, as well as a box of Josh’s favorite Turkish Delight. Turkish Taste is like an online version of the Turkish grocers we shopped at in Sunnyside.

According to Josh, I “hit it out of the park.” It was surprisingly easy and insanely delicious. Here’s what’s on the plate:

• Lamb Kofte
• Garlic yogurt sauce (spooned over kofte, with a sprinkle of toasted pine nuts. ASIDE: I made two quarts of yogurt Saturday night—no lie!)
• Hummus (this is the best recipe, feel free to improvise; buy tahini at Amazon—seriously)
• Rice (add a dash of turmeric and cumin)
• Broccoli from Josh’s square foot garden

Now to consider the Fourth of July menu…