The Ground Beneath Our Feet

It's alive, folks. Teeming with vitality, all of it precious.

This short video from Australian permaculturist Geoff Lawton illustrates just how valuable, and symbiotic, a resource our soil truly is.

Only the Good Die Young

We lost Georgette today. We're still unsure about what ultimately took her life. Glenn had noticed over the past few days that she wasn't getting up on the roost at night and was sitting on the henhouse floor in the morning. Still, she was out foraging for bugs and eating feed and drinking per usual. He just found her dead, and a bit frozen, on the hen house floor.

I knew when I took on chicken-tendering that the eventual loss of life is a natural part of the process. Still, it's never easy losing a pet, any pet. Georgette was a great, and generous, friend, always posing for the camera. She was also one of the first to allow me to pet and pick her up.

Thank you, lovely lady, for all you did to sustain us. Thank you for entertaining us with your wiley antics and gentle ways. You were a giant among hens. Godspeed you.

To catch a glimpse of Georgette when she was at her finest, check out this video.

*Image from LarkCrafts, taken by Lynne Harty.

Baby, It's Cold Outside

Brrr!!! I don't know where you're calling from, but around here, it's cold! It was 22 degrees Farenheit when we woke this morning. Even Fly, our thick-coated German Shepherd, wasn't all that interested in hanging out on the porch and barking at the forest this evening, as is her typical nightly routine.

The cats are all snuggled into various warm spots around the house (in fact, two interlopers are curled up on the bed with Huxley and I as I type this!), both dogs are lying atop living room furniture (yes, we indulge our animals-frankly, I'd rather have marred furniture than uncomfortable buddies), I'm in my flannel jammies (last year's much-loved holiday gift from my sweet sister Devan) and wool cardigan, Hubs is in multiple layers, and Huxley is warm as warm can be, still suited up from his day spent in a cozy, comfy fleece onesie.

Our tiny babe is acclimating to daytime snoozes in the moses basket under the warm cover of his organic cotton blanket, lovingly crocheted this past summer by his dear aunt Theo, my youngest sister. He's also getting into enjoying our newly acquired gently used Ergo carrier, riding around the kitchen with me this afternoon while I drank tea, fed the cats, and danced (tonight's roster included everything from Gwen Stefani to Gnarls Barkley, Kayne West to M.I.A., and Elliot Smith to Iron & Wine). It's nice to have my hands free while keeping my little "munchie" in close sight.

Stay warm, friends, wherever you are!

Pancakes of Perfection

In the world of pancakes, there are, meh, pancakes and then there are PANCAKES. The cakes of perfection pictured above fall into the latter camp.

Many a recent morning, as I tend to Huxley's breakfast needs, Hubs has been tending to mine. "What would you like for breakfast, sweetie?", he'll ask. If I don't enthusiastically reply "Egg and cheese biscuit, please!" or "French toast!" or "Frittata", then I'm most likely thinking that what I really want, what I'm in fact pining for, are pancakes. Sometimes Hubs knows this without my even having to request it. Such was the case on Friday morning, when he presented me with a plate of these divine beauties.

What distinguishes these pancakes from their mediocre kin are two components, both having to do with eggs (which, around the English household, we like-a lot; we eat an awful lot of eggs-there's a reason I wrote a book on "Keeping Chickens", mind you...). Firstly, there are four eggs used here, whereas most recipes for pancakes of a similar quantity employ the use of a mere two. Secondly, the egg whites and yolks are whisked separately and then both incorporated into the batter. This results in a "good balance of airiness inside and crispiness outside," to quote the chef himself. These cakes lack the doughy, gummy, heavy quality characteristic of many a foiled cake.

Additionally, there are several flavoring suggestions that aren't commonly used in pancake preparation, including almond extract, a personal favorite. In short, these are the perfect pancakes, really. You could make them for breakfast, brunch, or even dinner and please everyone at your table.

Without further ado:

The Motherflippin' Best Pancakes (this is Hubs' title...get the pun?)

The base:

-4 eggs, whites and yolks separated

-2 cups all-purpose flour

-2 cups whole milk

-2 Tablespoons melted butter

-2 teaspoons baking powder

-Pinch of salt, if desired.

Optional yuletide additions:

-1 capful almond extract

-1 capful orange extract

-1/2 teaspoons ground cardamom

-1/2 teaspoons nutmeg, freshly grated

-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

-1/4 teaspoons ground cloves

-In a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients, except the egg whites, and mix well.

-Beat the egg whites separately until very foamy.

-Fold the egg whites into the flour mixture until fairly well incorporated (we're not making a souffle here, so go ahead and work the foaminess in).

-Ladle into a well buttered pan on medium-low heat (Hubs suggests the use of a cast iron pan, versus a non-stick one, so as to better achieve the highly coveted outer edge crispiness).

-When air bubbles stay in the middle and it's golden brown on the edges of the underside, flip.

-Cook for a minute or two more till it starts to lightly brown on the bottom.

-Keep warm in a 200 degree oven if you need to.

-Add a little more butter if you like, and serve with grade B (the best) maple syrup.

Natural Potpourri

Happy Friday, ya'll. My "Small Measures with Ashley" post is up over at Design Sponge. Today I discuss making gorgeous, easy, all-natural potpourri blends from gathered natural materials and essential oils. Can you say "great gift idea"? I sure can!

Have a fabulous weekend, everyone. We'll be cozied up around the casa, per usual. My mom is coming over Sunday, which is becoming our usual routine. It frees up Hubs to go play Scrabble with the Asheville Scrabble Club for several hours while Mom cuddles Huxley, makes food, and helps me around the house. We're hoping to squeeze in some cookie-making this week, too!

Food & Wine Love

Look what showed up in this month's issue of Food & Wine magazine! Thank you so much to the folks there for mentioning my "Canning & Preserving with Ashley English" book. A shout out from a national publication like this means the world!

Chicken Chat

Wanna chat backyard chickens, real-time? Then sign up for one of the two classes on backyard chickens I'll be teaching this February at Asheville Buncombe Technical College.

At $39, the price is right! Plus, it'll be cold and dreary and gray and what could be better to cheer you up in the winter doldrums than talking about getting started with lively, colorful, clucking, peeking, preening chickens?!

Here's the skinny:

1) Friday February 4th, 2011, 10:00-12:30 a.m; 224 Haynes Enka Site.

2) Wednesday February 23rd, 2011; 6-8:30 p.m., 101 Asheville Mall.

To come get your chicken on, sign up here!