It appears the doe I raised by hand from two weeks old, Maria Gertrudis (Gerti for short), has excellent maternal instinct. I bred her with Dog Island’s Lou, back in March. Her 28 day gestation landed on Easter! That would have been something. However, I have found my three does tend to kindle closer to day thirty-two.

Gerti made a perfect nest with her fur. I can see the offspring are active. I’ve yet been unable to count her kits. She blocks me with her body- again an excellent sign of protection. All in all, she’s done great. I’ve been feeding her herbs. Dandelion for anti-inflammation and milk flow. Parsley also for any inflammation and blood enriching. Rosemary for low blood pressure, weakness & exhaustion and antidepressant. Nursing it is going to be more stress on her body, so I will include lemon balm as an anti-bacterial and stress reducer.

Due to my block’s proximity to food establishments, the local rat population occasionally spills into the basements, heaters, and homes on my block. A few years ago I had some real troubles with the dang rats. I had vector control come out to my place but they said I had done everything I needed to already. They said the only way to deter an outdoor onslaught of rats is poison. I hate poison but they were right. It was the only thing that worked…and I tried everything. Well, except one. I refuse to use a catch and release. Rats have co-evolved to plague us. They find us and our messy ways no matter where we are. They likely outnumber us and I am sure they are a more successful species that we are in biological terms. They don’t need my help and I’m not about to offer it.

So poison it is.

However, I hate using the variety that is toxic to other species. Since this time, Heidi over at Itty Bitty Farm in the City, has enlightened me.  There is a nontoxic mix that works on rats. You mix one part Plaster of Paris and one part peanut butter. She stuffs it into a pumpkin but I’ve not had them munch my squash. No, at my place they preferred strawberries, apples, and duck (bastards). I’ve since read this mixture only keeps for a day or two but that it does in fact work.

Capirotada is a Mexican bread pudding made during Lent. I’ve actually only ever had it on Easter Sunday. As a teen, I had an odd version of it that reflected the lives of my maternal grandparents. They lived through The Depression. So my grandmother explained that they saved the nuts and dried fruits through out the year to add to the pudding. One year, to demonstrate how they lived growing up, my grandma Lupe saved her scraps of nuts and dried fruits for a year. Sadly, some of the ingredients did not hold up the entire time and the pudding was a true testament to the hardships they survived.

In complete contrast , my parternal grandparents grew up in Mexico. My abuela Carolina is from Sinaloa. Her recipe is yet untouched by American influence (as much as anything Mexican is). The above photo is of the uncooked product.

Miel (we call sugar syrup miel, which means honey):

3 cups of water, 1 cup of dark brown sugar, four cloves, a cinnamon stick, and a 1/4  tsp of salt. Simmer and reduce by about 1/3.

Butter a 9×9 baking dish. Sliced french bread and lightly toast it.

Place cut corn tortillas along bottom of buttered dish. Place a layer of bananas (you can use plantains as well).

Place a layer of bread on top. Sprinkle nuts and dried fruit. Top off with a fresh melting cheese (like mozarella or queso Oaxaca).

Build up another layer like this. Then top off with a final layer of bread. Place pats of butter on top and more cheese.

Pour miel over layers. Bake at 350 for ~25 minutes.

There are many variations to this recipe. You can use any nuts (peanuts are the most popular) and fruits you want. I used trail mix once, it was great.

Today was a big day in the Bay Area urban ag world! San Francisco Mayor Edwin Lee signed the SF Urban Agriculture zoning proposal that allows the growing and selling of food on site in a broader range of zones, including some residential. This new ordinance also enables on-site sales of value-added goods made from produce grown on site in all zoning districts of the city (except residential districts). You can read the details of the accepted proposal at the SFUAA site.

Mayor Lee specifically said, “The Urban Agriculture Ordinance will allow for greater local food production within city limits…[and] not only help support our community through the increased production of fresh, locally grown produce, but will also revitalize vacant arable land and create green jobs.”

San Francisco just got in the forefront of cities nationally that are updating their zoning codes to encourage urban agriculture. This is an inspiration to us all. Thank you for the tireless work of the SFUAA organizers (freakin volunteer organizers at that!).

For anyone in the San Francisco area looking for ready made goat tacos during the week, I just found the spot. El Norteno lonchera truck at the corner of Bryant St. and Harriet St. Parking sucks so ride your bike. I just got the most excellent taco de chivo for $1.50!

Yuuum. I just added goat tacos on my list of things I need to cook regularly. I’ll post a recipe once I’ve taken it through a trial run.

A frequent question that comes up at the urban farm resource table is “what can I do if a chicken is eating eggs?”

Firstly, you can tell is a hen is eating eggs if 1) the hens were laying and suddenly the eggs are missing and 2) there are wet spots in the nesting area from where the egg contents spilled.

Usually hens don’t start eating their eggs unless they are not getting enough of something in their diet- calcium, protein, enough supplementary stuff to scratch at. To stop the habit I have had success when I do the following:

I change up their diet a bit. I mix some higher protein pellets in with their laying pellets. At feed stores you can generally find smaller portions of turkey feed or game bird feed, both high in protein.

I give them finely ground oyster shell as a calcium supplement. I make sure I am adding treats into their run for them to munch on through the day.

I make sure to remove eggs in the nesting area so as to remove temptation.

I also place a white golf ball in the nest and removing fresh eggs as soon as possible. The golf ball is a Pavlovian trick. They think the golf ball is an egg. They peck the fake egg. It provides no reward. They lose the impulse to peck the egg.

I have not had a hen persist in the egg eating when I do all three of these things.

Happy chicken keeping!

My recent dairy apprenticeship has me learning about goat behavior and care which ultimately includes the question of what to do with the males. My answer…well, if you’ve been reading my blog is might be apparent. Eat them.

I am definitely a supporter of keeping a small urban herd where possible, both for dairy and for meat. Goat meat is a very delicious and underrated meat. Ever since connecting with a cousin over the glories of eating goat feet, I have been pondering the glories of goat meat. A brief conversation with writer, Gustavo Arellano, on the same topic had me searching for more goat recipes- cheeses, sweets and meat. Then I saw his recent post, Is Goat Meat the Next Bacon?,

To this I say, while goat may not ever reach the popularity of pig, it is a great option for raising your own meat in your backyard. My own grandparents kept goats in their childhood and again when they retired. In fact, that was my first exposure to goat, braised goat in a tortilla. Then in college, I had Birria, a Mexican goat stew, and thought Mexicans may be unrivaled with our trio of nutritious (even medicinal) stews- menudo, pozole, and birria.

Years later I had Goat Curry made by a Bengali woman. While I still believe we are unchallenged in the stew department, clearly people around the world have a deep love and respect for goat. For others in search of excellent goat recipes, enjoy this Goat Curry recipe. Also, for a descriptive step by step on making birria check out this blogger’s post. If you’ve got a great recipe to share, send it my way!

Goat Curry

Marinade 1lb goat meat pieces in yogurt overnight.

Mix in a bowl and set aside at least 15 minutes:

1Tbs tumeric

1Tbs cumin

1Tbs coriander

1Tbs red chili powder

dash of salt

pinch of Bengali Five Spice

Fry:

1 onion

1 Tbs grated ginger

add cloves, cinnamon, bay leaves, and a few black cardamom

Add spices in water

Add goat meat and simmer for an hour

Serve with rice:

Brown ½ onion with 1 Tbs of grated ginger

Add Bay leaves a few black cardmamon pods and a dash of cinnamon

Add rice (1.5 cups) and brown

Add a whole uncut chili (jalapeno, serrano, or thai will do)

Add 3 c. water bring to a simmer, cover and steam 20 minutes

I recently gave a class on keeping meat rabbits. If there is one word of caution to share, its that the rabbit keeping thing is a tad more complicated than it appears.

Back in August ’10 my doe Lisa sadly had a heat stroke, leaving me to hand raise orphaned kits. Once this was under control, I located another doe, Anabelle, who has turned out to be quite a number. Anabelle is a skittish rabbit that does not take easily to breeding. She fights like hell and pins her bum to the ground. She also has not been so good with maternal duties. She killed her first kit and she abandoned the next litter (I told you, complicated). I have contacted the breeder she came from (she actually originally came from the East Coast- has to do with a genetic diversity project of 4H breeders) and gotten advice from a 90 year old rabbit keeper in Louisiana.

While I want to blame her and called her neurotic and a bad doe, this is not accurate. She is a rabbit and I am clearly not understanding something important. This is where keeping livestock becomes an endeavor that can alter you. You have the opportunity to learn the nature of the animals in your space. I really want to understand this rabbit and already that alone has changed how I perceive her. Anabelle and I are in a relationship. She is the teacher.

In an attempt to address her particular needs, I built an enclosure around her hutch. Being lazy, I did not block the bottom. I had decided since my buck does not dig, maybe this breed no longer has the instinct.

Wrong. Within a day she had dug a gorgeous tunnel right out of the enclosure. So, I attached chicken wire along the bottom.

She now has a layer of dirt to dig in, a hideway, steps to climb on and double the space with safe niches, and things to chew on. I have to say there has been a difference in her behavior. She has now been “binking” and “flopping” (jumping in the air and hopping around then flopping on her side).  She is also way less skittish with me. The true test will be in the third attempt to breed her. I’ll find out in a couple of weeks as she is due to kindle (birth) then.

Ever since reading about the 2006 Oakland Food Assessment in an Edible East Bay, I have been following the creation and growth of the Oakland Food Policy Council (OFPC). I still have my Spring 2007 issue (article: Oakland Looks Toward Greener Pastures). I was so doggone impressed.

With my growing passion for urban agriculture, I has been dreaming of a city that supports food sovereignty and enabled others to grow their own food…a city that believed in a sustainable food system. Then I read about the city’s commitment to producing 30% of all its food needs within the city itself or its immediate environs. I felt sure that if there was ever a city for me, this was it.

Not to be overly idealistic. Even with much support for urban agriculture, extremely successful organizations like City Slickers and even a planning department with individuals that have urban farms, we are talking about a city and its bureaucracy ultimately. The path to creating a successful and sustainable food system is a long one that will require champions and hard work from the community. Having said that, the OFPC has issued a Statement on Urban Agriculture that is being circulated as a petition for support. Please sign this petition!

Its very well thought out but what I appreciate most about it is that they have the courage to include a statement on the importance of livestock!

“In addition to the priority policy recommendations above, there are several other areas where updated policies could benefit Oakland’s urban farmers and gardeners, including raising animals and livestock. For example, Seattle’s new urban agriculture zoning increased the number of chickens permitted per household and added other allowed animals, including potbelly pigs. The OFPC also strongly supports the integration of animals into urban food production systems because they provide products that can improve the diets of Oakland’s residents (e.g. fresh milk, honey, eggs, and meat). Some urban farmers collect wool and goat hair for cottage industries. Finally, manure is an important fertilizer source for sustainable, ecological food production that is not reliant on petroleum-based chemical fertilizers.”

Its such a hot button issue, not many speak out in support. So thank you OFPC!

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