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.

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