Though I attended the recent Oakland Food Policy Council meeting where they decided on strategic priorities for Oakland and I really want to share, I could not miss sharing a post from Fast Grow the Weeds. Thanks El!

Back in December a cool crew from CBS Chow came out to the urban farm to do a series of tips on chicken keeping. The results are amusing if not helpful for newbie urban chicken keepers (Note to Chiraag: notice the backdrop on the coop tip).

Egg Layers vs. Meat Birds- or want the best of both worlds? Get dual purpose!

More Tips (click titles):

What Makes a Good Chicken Coop?

What Shouldn’t You Feed a Chicken

What is the Ideal Flock Size?

Chickens Need Calcium Too

How to Get Fresh Eggs Clean

Does a Chicken Lay Eggs Year Round?

How Are Fresh Eggs Different?

Sure, down covered work boots are not what first comes to mind when one thinks of Christmas Goose. No, I instantly think of a fragrant pine wreath on the door, a glass of spicey wine in the hand and a well set table in the middle of which rests a well cooked crispy skinned goose. However, even the most gorgeous goose dinners start with the ritual of sacrifice. According to Nectar and Ambrosia: An Encyclopedia of Food in World Mythology,

“Feasting on geese has long been a tradition in the Old World, as is clear from ancient mythology. The prevalence of goose gods in numerous cultures attests to the ritual importance of geese and to the fact that these rituals date back to antiquity…The goose feast that came to characterize holiday celebrations in later times arise as a modern-day derivative of these ancient rites and sacrifices. People in Europe, Central Asia, North America, and North Africa customarily sacrified geese, particularly at the turn of the seasons. Like other migratory fowl, geese appeared and disappeared at crucial times in the yearly cycle, so eating them customarily accompanied ceremonial events in the solar and agricultural year…After the goose was ceremonially killed, participants in the sacrifice feasted on its flesh in a ritual that they believed would ensure the regeneration of the Earth…Goose was served at the Celtic Samhain, or Halloween; the Germanic Yule, originally the first day of the new year; and Michaelmas, the ritual feast of the winter solstice.”

To this end, I recently joined a Petaluma farmer in preparing winter geese. The day started early in sharp 40° weather (go ahead laugh you Midwesterners). I met the knowledgeable crew while they were setting up a mobile station consisting of a gas fueled scalder, an automated plucker, hangers for plucking and killing cones mounted on the outside.

The most experienced, Lupe, began dispatching birds as the scalder heated.

Then the birds would go into a scalder with water heated to 150°. The goose would be rotated on a perforated platform for nearly a minute. This is much longer than the brief swish of a chicken in hot water. Apparently, the hot water needs time to penetrate the deep layers of goose down (about 1.5 inch thick).

We initially tried placing the soaked bird into an automatic plucker but the feathers were too slick with water repelling oils for the machine to grip them. So instead we hung the goose. Three people plucked it in only a few minutes. This is a startling contrast to the 15-20 minutes it takes me to pluck one duck.

Once only stubborn bits of downy feathers remained, we’d placed the goose in the plucker to finish. I helped with plucking as I appreciated the lesson I received to improve my method. I also enjoyed burying my freezing hands in the gush of hot water that would come from the feathers after scalding.

After plucking, the goose would go to the cleaning table where others would remove, clean, and separate the fat and offal for culinary use.

In the end, thirty-five geese had been prepared for the many upcoming winter feasts of the holiday season.

The farmer who was so gracious as to let me participate in this annual ritual of theirs told me it is important that the recipients of the geese see the head and feet intact. He feels it is important that the goose been seen as, not just a seasonal poultry dish, but a whole animal. One that was once alive and one they are now left to honor in its preparation.

I think by now I have harvested close to 40 lbs of fresh ripe tomatoes. I mostly have Bradywine and Myonas, a medium sized round red tomato a friend gave me, looks like  Carmellos and also Black Zebras from the same friend. Most of the poundage came from the Brandywines. They were huge. Though I have been lax about weighing harvest this season (way too busy), I feel certain each main harvest was at least 10 lbs. The cost of organic heirloom varieties is about $6/lb. So I think we’ve saved about $240 on tomatoes and enjoyed more than we’d ever be willing to pay for.

I planted as large an area I could negotiate given the massive home construction. I had dreams of using grandma Lupe’s pressure cooker to can tomatoes for the first time. Pressure cookers have scared me (the whole lid-blowing-off thing) but after gaining inspiration from Novella’s recent post, I went for it. My nephew, William, and I picked tomatoes and did some fava planting. Well, I did. He more like bored a hole in my lower back while enjoying the view.

I baked loads of tomatoes with a touch of olive oil and scooped them into hot sterilized canning jars. The jars got placed in the hot water awaiting them in the pressure cooker. I actually submerged these to about 1/2 inch from the top (are they supposed to be submerged entirely? Do the seals hold up to that?). I added one tablespoon of concentrated organic lemon juice to all the jars for extra measure.

Dipak had to rely on distant memories of his mother using a pressure cooker to help me out. Wait until the weighted top is making noise, time from there. When done, turn off heat and remove weight. Let steam out and then remove lid. I used a 10lb weight and cooked quart containers for 20 minutes; pint size for 15 min. For kicks I did a batch in a hot water bath as well. Those I boiled for 1 hour.

I truly hope I did this correctly and will find out soon enough.

Also this weekend, I really missed my turkeys from last year, mostly Nash and Fern. I really liked those kids but good lord they were good eats. I spontaneously decided to acquire another Narragansett. I think it is a hen and I could not help naming her. But I’ve decided to stick to food related names. So her name is Anise. I am also near completion of my rabbit hutch but have to return to school focus until Thursday. So be it.

I wanted my next blog post to compare the cost of raising a flock of chickens for eggs, compost and food with raising rabbits for compost and food. Somewhere along the way I got side tracked with a September 28 issue of New Yorker article on keeping chickens. Apparently there is a huge upsurge in urban chicken keeping…hmmm.

The author, Susan Orlean, writes that others in the business of chickens think the next urge will be in ducks and goats. I think there may be more exploration of poultry before the jump to goats. I’ve tried turkeys and ducks because it was an easy way to still use the same equipment and concepts as chicken keeping to raise them. For me the step into the mammalian world will be with rabbits. They are less maintenance have have fewer needs than goats. Dairy goats are a big commitment that require careful time managemen; bigger shelter and like to be in a herd- so space for two to three goats. With the construction around the house this is not an option right now but I hope will be in the near future. Though I don’t think cows will ever make it as an urban livestock, the Guinea Hog may.

One really cool resource in the article was website called IKEA Hacker, where IKEA furniture is recycled into new practical creations, including a chicken coop.

The  New Yorker article is not online but a video of the author with her chickens is:

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In light of having recently watched Chef Samin and Novella break down a bird, and a recent article on the Pizzaiolo Restaurant chicken coop, I bring you the following video on how another chef gets their chicken:

The weekend flew by in a flurry of activity. Friday night I checked out the Eat Real Festival in Oakland. Stefani brought her canned preserves for entry into the contest and to swap. While I enjoyed the entertainment and layout of the festival Friday, in the future they need more than beer and ice cream on opening day.

I missed Saturday’s events, for good reason though. I had much cooking to do for my sister’s birthday and I attended Novella’s chicken demonstration at her farm. Novella slaughtered and her Chef friend Samin, butchered. The butchering was of particular interest to me as on more than one occasion I had broken down my animals in a way that left them looking as Samin described “like a small dog had chewed them.” Samin had wonderful tips on preparations for poultry. A very useful tip for making a stock is to chop the carcass up and roast it. Chopping it up first will increase the surface area for caramelization.

I also learned a few great tips on duck. For example, I asked if there was a trick to plucking ducks. Both Novella and an attendee who raised ducks for years, said “no.” They are simply a pain in the ass to pluck. While this does not help me, it does comfort me to know my technique was not wrong. It is just that diffcult.

I also learned that Muscovy ducks are an excellent urban choice. They are both big and quiet. They do not quack. Silent animals are wonderful animals in the city.

As I left Novella’s Ghost Town Farm, her boyfriend Bill pointed out their future duck hutch. It is a retired BMW painted decoratively and with a “ducks only” sign. They are going to roll it into the lot and coop the ducks in there at night. The car reminded me of Salvador Dali’s Rainy Cadillac.

Saturday’s cooking fury (in 1000°F weather I might add) was for Amanda’s birthday. Poor thing she was so busy working her crazy pastry chef hours, she was unable to celebrate day of. However, in honor of her special day I picked blackberries (thanks Stefani!) and dispatched one of my ducks. Gruesome as it is, Amanda apparently liked the idea that a duck was sacrificed in her name. She said it made her feel “like a queen…or goddess…I like it.”  Queen Amanda loves blackberries. So, coached yet again by duck master Lauren, I made seared duck breasts with a savory blackberry sauce followed by blackberry pie. I may not be a master but I am a very good amateur.

Wow! Fellow Oakland urban farmer Novella Carpenter, a UCB School of Journalism graduate, has written a delightfully funny and educational book, Farm City. It is precious if you keep livestock or an edible landscape in a urban area (or even if you don’t). It is nice to know there are others that can relate to the odd glee of chasing a farm animal down a busy urban street or stealth slaughtering so as not to freak the neighbors out (too much more). She has also included helpful information. Some I used today as I harvested ducks for an upcoming cooking lesson with a super cool chef I met. Novella has the timing of harvesting chickens, turkeys, and ducks on the mark. It did indeed take one hour per duck.

About the ducks: I noticed something interesting. Two were from an urban farm where the animals competed for food with loads of other ducks and chickens. They ran around and swam in a pond. These animals appear lean with scrappy legs and yellow skin. “My” duck (a duck on loan that has waddled onto my plate, as ducks do. Sorry Lori and Conan.) in comparison is plump with bulging meaty legs, even though it is a laying breed, and its skin is white. I have no idea why this is the case. I do know that I have fed a higher protein mix to my birds the last two weeks to bulk them up for harvesting. I also know they have not had as big an area to run around in. It will be interesting to compare flavor differences.

With spring time and a streak of hot weather our coop is overflowing with eggs. Now with the ducks in the mix we have even more. I had eggs on the mind when I was perusing other iterations of one of my favorite community publications- the Edible community (ours is Edible East Bay). I was checking out an Edible Portland when, lo and behold, I came across an article by a woman with a surplus of eggs. She decided on cheese soufflé and convinced me that even I could bake one (well, that and the Julie/Julia Project). So I dusted off my 20 year old soufflé dish, a gift from my mother when I had announced I wanted to be a chef. And I baked a soufflé.

And we ate it. And it was good.

Blogs are a great writing challenge for anyone needing motivation to keep the wheels turning. The sheer frequency of having something to articulate is discipline enough. With the New Year charging out of the gates like a mad bull in January, I have only now come up for air. Turns out the air is thick with the cloying smell of turkey poo. A long month of doing a minimum outside to get by led to a super gross pile up in the turkey pen. Even then, through my watering eyes I could still see the beauty of natural fertilizer to add to the compost. However, vital lessons have been learned. As I am only now inching my way through a complex month of socials, school, work, major life events, crisis, and illness, I have been assessing the practicality of keeping a backyard farm in the midst of an urban life. I still hold it is feasible. Even with life coming at you. However, I am knocking turkeys off of the list of animals that can be farmed year round. They are large. They eat a lot, require big space, and a very efficient system for handling waste product. I sort of view turkey as a specialty. I will likely continue to raise my own between August and November for Thanksgiving, maybe even until December for Christmas mole, but beyond that- no more. They other thing about turkeys is that they provide food for a feast. Cooking a bird means having a plan to eat the bird with a large group.

All said and done. I liked the turkeys. They are amazing hardy animals. Ducks are next on the list. Much smaller, easier to contain and their housing can be interwoven with the landscape design.