Chicken with Charred Cauliflower and Peppers

As a child, I remember going out to the chicken coop with my grandma when I visited her

and my grandpa at their Indiana farm. We'd walk through an area of the farmyard

reserved for rambunctious geese as they honked wildly and flapped their strong wings

around my legs.

My grandma would protect me as she hurried me along toward the old wooden chicken coop.

Always fearful of being pecked by pointy, sharp beaks, I stood to the side and watched

with awe as my grandma gently tucked her hand under sitting hens, pulling out large

eggs.

The thought of ever having my own chickens never crossed my mind, until a couple of

years ago when I began hearing of urban and suburban dwellers having a few chickens so

that they could enjoy unbelievably fresh eggs.

It sounded charming and romantic. I pictured myself heading out to a cute little hen

house tucked into a corner of my yard, my dog scampering beside me, anxious to visit

the chickens. I would gather fresh eggs, make a quick stop to snip fresh herbs from the

garden, then head back to the kitchen to create plump, fluffy omelets to eat with whole

grain toast and a steaming cup of freshly brewed coffee. But those daydreams were just

a passing fantasy. I began purchasing eggs and whole, pasture-raised chickens from area

farmers instead.

But, oh dear. A couple of weeks ago I got a copy of "Chicken and Egg: A Memoir of

Suburban Homesteading with 125 Recipes by Janice Cole." One look at the charming cover

of the book and I started getting all dreamy again with visions of colorful hens

strutting their stuff around a darling little chicken coop in my yard.

Cole's book is a combination of her stories about her first year of raising her own few

hens in her backyard in a suburb of St. Paul. Minn., and more than 100 recipes she

developed using chicken and eggs. As you read of the sometimes humorous and always

interesting adventures of Cole's first year owning chickens, you will feel as though

you are sitting right across the table from her, sipping coffee and nibbling on a sweet

treat that she whipped up with some of her amazingly fresh eggs. Although "Chicken and

Egg" is not a how-to-raise-chickens-in-your-yard guidebook, it is filled with tips that

can help you decide if you really do want to make the commitment.

As you spend time thinking about the charms and challenges of having your own chickens,

you can try some of the down-to-earth, easy-to-follow recipes that Cole shares in the

book, using all parts of the chicken. The book is divided seasonally, because chickens

are seasonal in their behavior.

Chicken with Charred Cauliflower and Peppers is a delicious example of the family-

friendly recipes that abound in "Chicken and Egg." High-temperature roasting brings out

the best in this cauliflower, red bell pepper and chicken drumstick combo. The

vegetables become toasty brown along the edges, developing sweet, nutty flavors. Skin

on chicken drumsticks gets slightly crispy, while the meat oozes with juiciness when

poked with a fork

After becoming acquainted with Cole and her sweet little hens, each with her own name

and unique personality, you will be tempted to become a backyard farmer. You will

definitely feel drawn to seek out the freshest eggs and chickens you can find from

farmers in your area, farmers markets and natural food co-ops.

I'm wondering how I can turn the storage shed in the woods alongside the driveway into

a chicken coop. I can just picture my grandchildren, baskets in hand, going out with me

to gather eggs. Of course, my hens would never dream of pecking little hands.

Who's a clucky boy then? Flyaway parrot found in a hen house sounds like a CHICKEN

A flyaway parrot has been reunited with his owners after surviving the bitter winter by

apparently sheltering in a chicken coop.

Jack the blue-fronted Amazon began to cluck when he was found – thought to be a sign

that he had set up home in a heated hen house as he searched for his owners.

The 12-year-old bird vanished for 66 days after he flew out of an open door at Jerry

and Irene Williams's home in Prenton, Wirral, on November 21.
Home sweet home: Jack the pet parrot sits comfortably at home in Prenton, Wirral, with

astonished owners Jerry and Irene Williams and Andy Woolham, from Chester Zoo

Home sweet home: Jack the pet parrot sits comfortably at home in Prenton, Wirral, with

astonished owners Jerry and Irene Williams and zoo keeper Andy Woolham
Who's a clever boy: Jack the pet Bluefronted Amazon parrot survived sub-degree

temperatures before his miraculous return

Who's a clever boy: Jack the pet Bluefronted Amazon parrot survived sub-degree

temperatures before his miraculous return

After making it through the coldest December for a century, he was then found perched

on a fence outside a tropical aviary at Chester Zoo, some 15 miles away, towards the

end of January.

Andy Woolham, the zoo's head parrot keeper, said: ‘I could tell he was ravenously

hungry so I enticed him down with a grape.

'No parrot can resist a black grape.'

He said Jack would have been killed by the cold had he not apparently found shelter and

food in a poultry shed.

Mr Woolham fed him up and passed him to his mother to care for while they searched for

his owner.

Two weeks later a visitor to Mrs Woolham's home recognised Jack from a ‘missing

parrot' poster she had seen at a local vet's surgery.

Mr Williams, 58, said he was speechless when the zoo called to say Jack had been found.

‘Ever since the day I watched helplessly as he flew off over the trees at the end of

the garden, I thought I'd never see him again,' he said.

‘It's wonderful to have him back.'

Folks flock to chicken coops at Lawn and Garden Show

The 20th Annual Lawn and Garden Show at the Ozark Empire Fairgrounds is full of ideas for your yard, and one idea that's more popular this year is to add a chicken coop to the landscape.

Since the City of Springfield narrowly passed an ordinance in October that allows citizens to have up to six chickens, the number of people deciding to raise their own is climbing.

Seymour company, Portable Livestock Shelters, has been designing and building chicken coops for more than a decade.  "We have about nine employees," says owner Greg Samuel.

Samuel's business is doing well, with more and more folks wanting laying hens of their own.

"Since the city ordinance, [we] began talking about it, even though it didn't affect us, because we're outside city limits," says Jacobson.

Chickens have become a topic of conversation, and many are moving them into their back yards.  One reason- because they know exactly where their food is coming from.  "I have coworkers that buy from the health food store. But how do you know that they're any different than what I'm getting at the grocery store?" Jacobson says.

"Mostly just the freshness of the eggs- there's just no replacing getting something fresh from your own, just like your own garden, a home grown product, you can really taste the difference," says Samuel.

"I love to bake; I go through a lot of eggs," says Jacobson.  For many, the eggs, or even chicken to eat, aren't the first step in raising their own food.  "With grocery prices rising, I can easily grow just the basics; lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers," Jacobson says.

Samuel is witnessing that trend too.  "We're selling a lot more greenhouses, for people wanting to start their own plants," Samuel says.

The trend is leading folks to flock to this year's Lawn and Garden Show, where there are plenty of tools to support sustainability.  Mary Quinn, Exhibits Director at the Ozark Empire Fairgrounds, says "If the people are interested in keeping the chickens in the back yard, then that becomes part of what we want to address."

Vicki did purchase her chicken coop, and she's excited to get her small flock going.

If you'd like to learn more about raising chickens, in the city or anywhere, there's a workshop next Saturday, February 26th at the Springfield-Greene County Botanical Center.  Click the link for more information.