Farming Friends

British Saddleback Pigs are an old fashioned rare breed of pig. They are a result of an amalgamation of two breeds, the Essex and the Wessex Saddleback.

British Saddleback pigs have;

• A black coat with a white saddle just behind their front legs which goes all around their body in a band.
• Lop ears over their faces.
• Long and deep bodies.

British Saddlebacks are a hardy breed of pig and the sows are noted for their mothering ability.

If you would like to join Photo Hunters then click on the image below for more information.

My white leghorn hen, Hatty has laid her first egg of 2008. So as part of Farmhouse Breakfast Week I will be having the lovely free range egg soft boiled with toasted soldiers for my breakfast this weekend.
We found the lovely white egg snuggled into some grain on top of the mill this morning. We think that she laid the egg on Thursday but I haven’t got into the habit of looking for Hatty’s eggs yet, but I will be checking every day now!

The mill is Hatty’s favourite place to lay an egg!

The Hatty egg count begins for 2008. In 2007 Hatty laid 101 free range eggs which I found and enjoyed, although she does like to challenge me by moving her nest every once in a while so it will be interesting to see where she tries to lay some eggs this year!

Keets raised by a guinea fowl hen or another hen that has hatched the eggs, require very little management at the early stages of life as the hen will take care of most of the needs of the keets. The hen will keep the keets warm and protected as the keets tend to remain under the hen until their bodies have dried and they have the strength to move about. It is still important to make sure that the keets have access to water and food, which should be kept close to the hen’s nesting area.

Read all about the successful raising of guinea fowl keets by Mrs Boss, a bantam hen belonging to The Cottage Smallholder.

A lovely starter or canape at a party is this hard boiled quail’s eggs with beetroot. It is easy to prepare and very tasty.

Ingredients

• Quail’s eggs - hard boiled.
• Mayonnaise.
• Whole grain mustard.
• Beetroot.

Method

1. Hard boil the quail’s eggs for 3 minutes and then allow to cool.
2. Peel the shell from the quail’s eggs. It is recommended that the quails eggs are not fresh and a week or two old as the shell will peel from the egg alot easier and won’t take the white away from the yolk.
3. Slice the eggs in half and then scoop out the yolk.
4. Mix the yolk with some mayonnaise and wholegrain mustard.
5. Spoon the yolk mixture back into the hard boiled egg white.
6. Cut a slice of beetroot and decorate the top of the yolk mixture.

Dad has given me a plastic wheel barrow which is great. I am using the wheel barrow daily to move the pig muck about the farm. The plastic wheel barrow is a great asset as the muck can often affect metal wheel barrows but the plastic barrow can be easily washed.

This week it is Farmhouse Breakfast Week.

“Farmhouse Breakfast Week is an annual campaign that emphasises the importance of eating a healthy breakfast every day.”

Breakfast cereals are made from cereal crops that are grown on farms as is bread which is another food eaten at breakfast. The bacon and sausages that are part of the cooked breakfast come from farm animals which have also been fed on cereal crops.

The Farmhouse Breakfast Week website has lots of breakfast facts & recipes.

The theme for this year’s Farmhouse Breakfast Week is “A Great Start.”

So how are you going to give you and your family a great start to the day?

The Winter aconite growing in my orchard has started to emerge and bloom. I caught my first glimpse of this cheery flower the other day and thought it would make a great entry for Green Thumb Sunday.

I had never seen this lovely cheery plant until I moved to the farm. It would be easy to miss this lovely little plant as it is so tiny but the colour of the flower is so vibrant and bright that it stands out in the dreary winter garden. Check out the Winter Aconites flowering on Sunk Island.

Join

Gardeners, Plant and Nature lovers can join in every Sunday, visit As The Garden Grows for more information.

What plants are emerging in your garden this January?