Oooh, it was so good
to take a serrated knife below the surface of the soil to cut the first ever spears of asparagus here at Hen Corner today. Only three days into April and we harvested enough for a superb Mothers Day lunch complete with Purple Sprouting broccoli that we dressed simply in organic olive oil, sea salt and freshly ground black pepper – the perfect accompaniment to a lemon roast chicken on this beautiful spring day.
We were pleased to welcome both sets of parents this afternoon for a glass of sparkling wine in the garden to celebrate Mothers Day; we are so grateful for their support and care.
Lost in London
This week we were thrilled to receive our copy of Lost in London magazine, the article from Hen Corner recounts the ‘New Year Fox Attack’ and points readers to our Chicken Keeping Courses. It’s a great publication and we particularly like the feature on Elderflower Champagne – we are definitely going to try some of that! For stockists, see here.
Thanks to everyone for all the lovely comments re: Market Kitchen and Gardeners Question Time from our last post. Andy is going to cook the Grilled mackerel with watercress and orange salad this week and I’m going to be judging it against the one Mark Sargeant prepared for us on the show.
This lovely Spring weather has not just fooled the plants into thinking it’s earlier than it is, the chickens are also preparing for summer. After last years problem with broody hens, we thought we’d try to nip it in the bud straight away this year. The naughty cage was set up in the shed (safe from foxes) and big old Butternut was locked inside. We left her in the cage for 48 hours and then put her back in the garden with the others. After I had cleaned and packed up the cage I turned around to discover that she was back in the nest box not 20 mins later…. hmmmm, so I set up the cage again…. we kept her in for a couple more days, 5 nights in total, and have cracked it! So much easier than last year. I wonder when she’ll start another broody cycle?
Other news:
- Hen Corner is on Facebook, please do like us and spread the word!
- The Humbug Pear has taken well and is sprouting its first leaves
- Asparagus Watch: 21
- The strawberry bed is tidy and ready for another year of fruit
- To see this year’s planting schedule click here Planting Plan ’11
Jobs for next week:
- Mulch the fruit trees & beds
- Protect the fig tree in the Henclosure with low-level chicken wire
- Tidy the herb garden
- Get on with the April planting
Have a great week yourself now….
Corners aren’t just for squares!
